We 1 (12-02) Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released December 31, 2002, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" call Mark E. Miller at (202)720-7621, office hours 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. National Weather Summary Volume 89, No. 53 December 22 - 28, 2002 For additional information, call (202) 720-2397. Highlights: El Nino continued to exert a strong influence on the Nation's weather patterns, resulting in occasionally heavy precipitation in the West Coast States; mild, dry weather across the northern Plains and upper Midwest; and for the fourth consecutive week cool, stormy weather in the South and East. For the third consecutive week, precipitation topped 4 inches in much of northern California and the Pacific Northwest. The moisture brought additional drought relief to Northwestern pastures and winter grains, and further improved high-elevation snow packs in the Cascades, Sierra Nevada, and northern Rockies. However, the remainder of the West continued to experience a variety of detrimental effects due to long-term precipitation deficits, including drought-lowered reservoirs and stressed rangelands. Meanwhile, rain and snow dampened the southern Plains on December 23-24, where weekly temperatures averaged as much as 12 degrees F below normal, but mild, unfavorably dry weather persisted in drought-affected areas from eastern Colorado and northwestern Kansas northward into Montana. As a result, the northern and central High Plains' winter wheat remained exposed to potential weather extremes. Mild, dry weather favored off-season fieldwork in the upper Midwest, where weekly temperatures averaged up to 10 degrees F above normal. In contrast, snow blanketed areas from the Ohio and middle Mississippi Valleys to the lower Great Lakes region on December 24-25. Across the South, heavy snow fell across the Ozark Plateau, while at least 2 inches of rain fell from eastern Texas to the southern Appalachians. Wet fields continued to cause significant fieldwork disruptions throughout the South. Farther north, an intensifying storm system brought very heavy snowfall (locally 1 to 3 feet) and high winds to parts of the interior Northeast on December 25-26. Rain and snow spread from the Southwest across the south-central U.S. on December 23, producing daily-record rainfall totals in locations such as Monroe, LA (3.37 inches), and Amarillo, TX (0.56 inch, in the form of 6.1 inches of snow). A day later, daily records included 2.56 inches in Daytona Beach, FL, and 1.88 inches in Asheville, NC. Meanwhile, the storm-total snowfall of 12.9 inches in Springfield, MO, secured their snowiest December on record (20.5 inches), breaking the 2000 record of 18.1 inches. Oklahoma City, OK, measured 2.0 inches on December 23-24, and had their greatest December 25 snow depth (2 inches) since 1924. Indianapolis, IN, had 7 inches on the ground Christmas morning, breaking their December 25, 1909, record of 6.5 inches. Farther east, daily-snowfall records for December 25 included 19.2 inches in Albany, NY, 12.5 inches in Portland, ME, and 10.5 inches in Worcester, MA. Storm-total snowfall reached 22.2 inches in Concord, NH, and 21.0 inches in Albany, with amounts topping 30 inches in several New York locations. Unofficial New York totals included 39 inches in Cherry Valley (Otsego County) and 38 inches in Herkimer (Herkimer County). The season-to-date (July 1 - December 28) snowfall of 58.0 inches in Rochester, NY, was the highest on record, and stood in stark contrast to the 7.2 inches observed during the second half of 2001. Winds associated with the holiday storm were clocked to 71 mph on Mt. Desert Rock, ME, 60 mph in Milton (Blue Hill Observatory), MA, and 46 mph in Worcester. Meanwhile, fresh snow cover contributed to a handful of daily-record lows in the Southwest, including consecutive records on December 26 and 27 (-12 and -9 degrees F) in Window Rock, AZ, where 8 inches had fallen on December 22-23. Meanwhile, stormy weather continued along and near the West Coast. On December 27, Eureka, CA, received their highest 1-day and 24-hour rainfall totals on record, measuring 6.79 inches. Eureka's previous records were 5.04 inches on October 29, 1950, and 6.32 inches on December 8-9, 1996, respectively. The following day, wind gusts across northern California reached 47 mph in Redding, 48 mph in Stockton, and 54 mph in San Francisco. According to the California Department of Water Resources, the average water equivalent of the high-elevation Sierra Nevada snow pack increased to approximately 15 inches (more than 150 percent of normal) by December 30, up from about 4 inches at the beginning of the month. In contrast, a very dry pattern persisted across the northern and central High Plains and the upper Midwest, accompanied by record warmth toward week's end. In Iowa, Des Moines' streak without measurable precipitation reached 47 days (November 12 - December 28), surpassing their former record of 45 days, set from October 2 - November 15, 1952. Farther south, a 41-day dry spell ended in Kansas City, MO, when 0.03 inch fell on December 26, but streaks without measurable precipitation reached 44 days (November 15 - December 28) in several nearby locations, including downtown Kansas City, St. Joseph, MO, and Olathe, KS. On December 28, more than a dozen daily-record highs were established across the Plains and Midwest, including 69 degrees F in Colby, KS, 67 degrees F in Hastings, NE, and 60 degrees F in Sioux City, IA. Alaska's long run of mild weather started to come to an end after 14 weeks. Weekly temperatures averaged as much as 5 degrees F below normal in southern and western Alaska, but remained 3 to 9 degrees F above normal across interior and northern parts of the State. Lows in McGrath, AK, fell to -24 degrees F on December 28 and -33 degrees F the following day. Significant snow fell across southern Alaska, where an 8.5-inch total in Anchorage on December 24-25 boosted their month-to-date total to 20.7 inches (151 percent of normal). Elsewhere in southern Alaska, Yakutat netted a weekly snowfall of 12.4 inches, but their season-to-date sum of 15.5 inches remained far below last year's July 1 - December 28 total of 92.1 inches. Meanwhile in Hawaii, generally light showers were observed in windward locations. A few heavier showers developed toward week's end, resulting in 72-hour (December 26-29) totals of 1.22 inches in Wailua, Kauai; 1.43 inches at Oahu's Manoa Lyon Arboretum; and 1.82 inches in Pahoa, on the Big Island. National Agricultural Summary December 23 - 29, 2002 A stormy weather pattern continued in the Pacific Northwest, delivering heavy rain to low-lying coastal areas and significant snowfall to coastal and inland mountain ranges. The wet weather pattern has eliminated drought conditions along the coast and significantly reduced moisture shortages along the foothills of the coastal ranges. In the interior valleys, topsoil moisture supplies improved, but long-term moisture shortages remained moderate to severe. Meanwhile, above-normal temperatures aided root development of winter grains in the Pacific Northwest and northern Great Plains. Strong root development and abnormally warm weather have reduced the threat of heaving and winter kill, even though the protective snow cover has been thin and spotty. In California, precipitation interrupted field and orchard work in the central and northern valleys, but the moisture, combined with near-normal temperatures, contributed to vigorous crop growth. Another winter storm provided additional moisture reserves in the Southeast and reduced moisture shortages along the Atlantic Coastal Plain, but many areas of the lower Mississippi Delta and Gulf Coast were excessively wet. The storms further hampered sugarcane harvest in Louisiana. In the southern Great Plains, below-normal temperatures limited growth of winter forages and rain delayed fieldwork. The Corn Belt and adjacent areas of the Great Plains and Great Lakes region were abnormally warm and mostly dry. The next "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" report will be released after 12 p.m. ET on January 7, 2003. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) 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