We 1 (1-03) Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released January 14, 2003, 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 90, No. 2 January 5 - 11, 2003 For additional information, call (202) 720-2397. HIGHLIGHTS: Storminess subsided for several days in the West Coast States, although locally heavy showers returned to northern California after midweek. Meanwhile, beneficial showers developed across the Southwest, but unfavorably dry conditions persisted elsewhere from the Rockies westward. Early-week warmth in the West gradually spread across the Plains and upper Midwest, where dozens of daily-record highs on January 7-8 boosted weekly temperatures 4 to 18 deg F above normal. The warmth and dryness promoted off-season fieldwork but maintained concerns about the northern and central High Plains' winter wheat due to soil moisture shortages and lack of a protective snow cover. Colder air began to overspread the Plains and Midwest toward week's end, although sub-zero temperatures were confined to the north-central U.S. Favorably dry weather prevailed across the South, following a sustained period of wetness. However, near- to below-normal temperatures slowed evaporation rates from still-soggy fields. Weekly temperatures averaged as much as 10 deg F below normal in Florida. Farther north, periods of snow continued in the Northeast, interrupted by a brief, midweek warm spell. Early in the week, scattered, light precipitation dotted the West and Northeast. In the Black Hills, the 0.31-inch total in Lead, SD, was not unusual, but the precipitation type (rain) was. Lead's previous greatest January precipitation event without snow totaled 0.15 inch, on January 3, 1984. Meanwhile in the Mid-Atlantic region, January 5 snowfall included 3.0 inches in Washington, DC, and 2.8 inches in Baltimore, MD. Farther west, the combination of an upper-level disturbance in the Southwest and a high-pressure system over the Intermountain region resulted in high winds. January 6 gusts in Arizona were clocked to 69 mph in Stanton and 49 mph in Safford. Even higher gusts were noted across southern California, where "Santa Ana" winds reportedly reached 100 mph in Fremont Canyon and 90 mph in Ontario. In addition, early-week snowfall in Arizona accumulated to a depth of 10 inches at Sunset Crater and 8 inches at the Grand Canyon (South Rim). Several California locations opened the week with a pair of daily-record highs, including Chula Vista (77 and 78 deg F). On January 6, highs soared to daily-record levels in locations such as Yorba Linda, CA (85 deg F), and Astoria, OR (63 deg F). Warmth overspread the Plains and Midwest on January 7-8, boosting the national tally of daily-record highs to nearly 200 for the week. On January 8, Des Moines, IA (67 deg F), posted a new record high for the month (previously, 65 deg F on January 26, 2002, and two earlier dates), while Topeka, KS (74 deg F) tied their monthly record established on January 2, 1939. Omaha, NE (68 deg F on January 8), missed their monthly record by 1 deg F, while International Falls, MN (46 deg F on January 7), experienced their warmest January day since January 24, 1981. By January 9, record warmth briefly visited North Carolina, where records included 70 deg F in Greensboro and 67 deg F in Asheville. A day earlier in Florida, however, uncharacteristically cold weather had resulted in low temperatures of 25 deg F in Ocala and 32 deg F in Lakeland and Orlando. A short-lived spell of bitterly cold weather ended across Alaska, replaced by a return to the mild weather pattern that has persisted for most of the cold season. Significant precipitation was confined to Alaska's southern tier, where January 1-11 totals reached 6.90 inches (232 percent of normal) in Kodiak and 7.19 inches (200 percent) on Annette Island. Nearly one-third of Annette Island's rain, 2.09 inches, fell on January 5. Farther north, temperatures climbed across the Alaskan mainland, rebounding in Bethel from a daily-record low of -37 deg F on January 7 to a daily-record high of 40 deg F on January 9. Meanwhile in Hawaii, locally heavy showers developed on January 10-11 from Kauai to Maui. Some of the highest 24-hour totals included 2.59 inches in Kokee, Kauai; 2.72 inches in Kahakuloa, Maui; and 2.79 inches at Oahu's Wilson Tunnel. Although dry weather returned to most of Hawaii during the ensuing 24-hour period, a few Big Island locations reported heavy rain. January 11-12 totals reached 2.75 inches in Honokaa and 3.01 inches in Laupahoehoe. National Agricultural Summary January 6 - 12, 2003 Unseasonably warm weather prevailed across most of the Nation during the week. Many locations in the upper Mississippi Valley and northern Great Plains experienced record and near-record daily highs. Winter wheat fields on the northern High Plains benefited from the mild weather, but remained exposed to potentially damaging winds and cold weather. In the southern Great Plains, above normal temperatures promoted vigorous growth of winter grains and forages until a late-week cold front delivered freezing temperatures as far south as central Texas. Temperatures averaged near normal along the eastern Gulf Coast, with below-freezing overnight lows reaching Florida's citrus region. Some young citrus trees suffered minor bloom injury, but there was no significant leaf burn or wood damage. Also, maturing fruit experienced very little damage. Most of the Nation also experienced dry weather during the week. The persistent stormy weather pattern abated in the Pacific Northwest and favorably dry weather returned to the Southeast. Precipitation hampered some field and orchard work in northern California, but delays were mostly brief. Winter tillage and other field work resumed in parts of the southern Great Plains, lower Mississippi Valley, and Southeast. The next "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" report will be released after 12 p.m. ET on January 22, 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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