We 1 (1-03) Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released January 28, 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. 4 January 19 - 25, 2003 For additional information, call (202) 720-2397. Highlights: For the second consecutive week, cold, mostly dry weather across the eastern half of the Nation contrasted with warm weather in the West. From the Rockies westward, significant precipitation was confined to northern California and the Northwest, leaving the majority of the West with serious water supply concerns. Above-normal Western snow packs were largely confined to the Sierra Nevada, while statewide reservoir supplies were near normal in California and Montana, but substantially below normal in all other Western States. From Montana to Nebraska, a shallow snow cover helped to protect winter wheat from low temperatures that ranged from 0 to -30 degrees F. Although wheat remained exposed on the drought-affected central High Plains, temperatures averaged up to 8 degrees F above normal and did not fall below 0 degrees F. Bitterly cold weather (temperatures 4 to 12 degrees F below normal) and occasional gusty winds prevailed in the Corn Belt, stressing livestock and sharply curtailing outdoor activities. Temperatures as low as -20 degrees F were reported across the upper Midwest. Weekly readings averaged as much as 12 degrees F below normal in Florida and ranged from 8 to 18 degrees F below normal in the Northeast, capping a two-week cold snap along the Atlantic Seaboard. Central Florida's winter agricultural areas experienced a freeze on January 24, with low temperatures generally ranging from 22 to 28 degrees F. Gusty winds in central Florida made freeze protection measures difficult, although citrus escaped widespread damage. Temperatures were not low enough in southern Florida to cause freeze damage to tender ground vegetation, although blowing sand was a concern. However, the freeze was relatively minor compared to the series of major cold outbreaks that affected the state from January 1977 to December 1989, sharply curtailing Florida's citrus production for more than a decade. Farther north, one of the most significant winter storms in more than a decade brought heavy snow and high winds to eastern North Carolina. Early in the week, warmth overspread the High Plains in advance of a cold front. On January 19, daily-record highs included 68 degrees F in Salina, KS, and 61 degrees F in Sheridan, WY. Two days later, warmth east of the Rockies was confined to southern Texas, where daily-record highs reached 86 degrees F in Del Rio and 80 degrees F in San Antonio. Farther west, warmth continued all week, resulting in more than more than five dozen daily-record highs from the Rockies westward. Cottonwood, AZ, closed the week with consecutive daily-record highs (71 and 73 degrees F). In southern California, daily-record highs on January 25 included 86 degrees F in San Bernardino and 90 degrees F in Wild Animal Park. Although sporadic, beneficial precipitation continued in northern California and the Northwest, southern California and the Southwest remained dry. January 1-26 rainfall totaled a trace (2.71 inches below normal) in downtown Los Angeles, CA, leaving the city headed toward only its fourth January without measurable precipitation, along with 1948, 1972, and 1976. In contrast, January 1-26 precipitation climbed to 2.41 inches (154 percent of normal) in Spokane, WA, aided by a daily-record total of 0.50 inch on January 22. On January 22, Valentine, NE, posted a daily-record low of -23 degrees F, while New England's highest summit (6,288-foot Mt. Washington, NH) noted a low of -34 degrees F, accompanied by wind gusts to 142 mph. A day later, daily records included -24 degrees F in Huron, SD, and -9 degrees F in Kansas City, MO. By January 24, more than three dozen daily-record lows were set in the East. Florida records included 25 degrees F in Daytona Beach, 27 degrees F in Orlando and Tampa, and 36 degrees F in Miami. More than a dozen additional records were set on January 25, when lows included -14 degrees F in Montpelier, VT, and 11 degrees F in New Bern, NC. Consecutive daily-record lows were set in several Florida cities, including Lakeland (27 and 32 degrees F) and Melbourne (29 and 32 degrees F). Farther north, a late-week snow storm dumped as much as 1 foot on North Carolina's Outer Banks, the region's largest accumulation since 13.3 inches blanketed Cape Hatteras on December 23-24, 1989. Following the storm, Cape Hatteras notched daily-record lows of 18 and 22 degrees F on January 24-25. Some scattered, locally heavy showers were noted across the Hawaiian Islands, especially early in the period and again toward week's end. For example, 24-hour rainfall totaled 1.91 inches in Kokee, Kauai, on January 19-20, and reached 4.76 inches in Kahakuloa, Maui, on January 25-26. Meanwhile, mild weather continued across Alaska, where weekly temperatures averaged as much as 15 degrees F above normal. In southwestern Alaska, King Salmon last recorded a high below 32 degrees F on January 6, when their high was -8 degrees F. Significant precipitation was again confined to southern Alaska, where month-to-date (January 1-26) precipitation totaled 14.27 inches (206 percent of normal) in Kodiak and 5.15 inches (127 percent) in Juneau. Farther north, January 1-26 totals included 0.33 inch (38 percent of normal) in King Salmon and 0.14 inch (18 percent) in McGrath. Season-to-date snowfall totaled just 39.3 inches (59 percent of normal) in McGrath. National Agricultural Summary January 20 - 26, 2003 Temperatures remained well below normal across the eastern two-thirds of the Nation, and bitterly cold weather remained entrenched across the northern Great Plains, upper Mississippi Valley, Great Lakes, and Corn Belt. Temperatures dropped well below freezing as far south as central Florida, and were near freezing in southern Florida. Most of the early and mid-season citrus was harvested, although a few unharvested Valencias remained in the low lands, where the coldest temperatures were recorded. Harvest crews rapidly moved into the late-season citrus groves over the weekend and sent most of that fruit to the processors. Plenty of undamaged fruit remained for the fresh fruit packers as well. Some damage was seen on citrus trees in the northern citrus orchards as well as vegetable crops and recently planted sugarcane in the Everglades region. Strawberry growers ran overhead sprinklers to insulate plants and immature fruit from the cold weather. On a positive note, the cold weather provided additional chill hours for fruit orchards throughout the Southeast. Above-normal temperatures continued in the Rocky Mountain and Pacific Coast States, and stormy weather continued in the Pacific Northwest. In California, irrigated winter crops flourished in the abnormally warm weather, and soil moisture supplies were mostly adequate to support vigorous growth of dryland crops. Field and orchard work continued with virtually no delays. On the northern Great Plains, widespread snow cover provided the winter wheat crop some insulation from the cold weather, but depths were mostly shallow and a few fields were bare. Fieldwork was active in the southern Great Plains where conditions allowed. The next "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" report will be released after 12 p.m. ET on February 4, 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.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact the USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD). 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