We 1 (2-03) Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released February 11, 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. 6 February 2 - 8, 2003 For additional information, call (202) 720-2397. Highlights: Mostly dry weather returned to the Northwest and persisted in the Southwest, accompanied by a sharp decline in temperatures. Following a week that featured readings as much as 20 degrees F above normal and widespread January-record warmth, Western temperatures averaged as much as 12 degrees F below normal. Meanwhile, some the coldest air of the season (temperatures as low as -10 degrees F) overspread the drought-affected central High Plains, although a shallow snow cover helped to insulate winter wheat. Light snow also provided wheat with some protection on the northern High Plains. Conditions remained mostly favorable for overwintering wheat on the southern Plains, where rain and snow fell after midweek. Light precipitation also fell in the Corn Belt, slightly boosting topsoil moisture but providing little relief from slowly developing Midwestern drought. Cold-season dryness has had a negligible effect on Midwestern agriculture, but has restricted some river traffic and recreational activities. Across the South and East, a wetter weather pattern improved topsoil moisture levels, following drier-than-normal conditions during January. The precipitation included some significant snow in the Northeast, featuring an early-week blizzard in northern New England and widespread accumulations across the northern Mid-Atlantic region and southern New England on February 7-8. Early in the week, blizzard conditions struck northern Maine and parts of coastal New England. Caribou, ME, received 23.8 inches of snow on February 2-3, including a daily-record total of 20.8 inches on Sunday. Wind gusts to 47 mph accompanied Caribou's snowfall. Meanwhile, record warmth diminished across the West but briefly overspread the southern Plains and parts of the interior Southeast. Daily-record highs on February 2 included 85 degrees F in Wichita Falls, TX; 74 degrees F in Dodge City, KS, and Springfield, MO; and 71 degrees F in Nashville, TN. A day later, Corpus Christi, TX (87 degrees F), posted a record high for February 3. The warmth was short-lived, however, as cooler weather returned to most of the Nation by week's end. On February 7, Laramie, WY, notched a daily-record low of -27 degrees F, while lingering warmth in southern Florida resulted in a record high of 87 degrees F in Miami. Las Vegas, NV, tallied a high of 81 degrees F on February 1, their earliest reading at or above 80 degrees F by more than 2 weeks (previously, 81 degrees F on February 17, 1996). But during the week of February 2-8, Las Vegas' temperature peaked at 64 degrees F on Sunday and failed to rise above 57 degrees F thereafter. In California's San Joaquin Valley, Bakersfield posted a minimum of 32 degrees F on February 3 and lows of 33 degrees F on February 5, 6, and 8. Southern California's citrus and winter vegetables did not experience temperatures low enough to cause problems, although some vegetable seeding and transplanting was delayed. Lancaster, CA, closed the week with three consecutive daily-record lows (14, 16, and 21 degrees F). Other California daily records for February 8 included 23 degrees F in Paso Robles and 25 degrees F in Redding. Although dry weather returned to the Northwest, above-normal precipitation in December and January eased drought concerns for winter grains. December-January totals included 6.67 inches (164 percent of normal) in Spokane, WA, 5.15 inches (170 percent) in Pendleton, OR, and 3.59 inches (130 percent) in Boise, ID. Farther east, late-week snow blanketed areas from the southern Plains to the northern Mid-Atlantic region and southern New England. On February 6, daily-record snowfall totals included 5.0 inches in Jonesboro, AR, and 4.8 inches in Jackson, TN. February 6-7 snowfall totaled 6.6 inches in Washington, DC, their greatest February snowfall since 6.8 inches fell on February 16, 1996. The storm came roughly 25 years after the Northeastern Blizzard of February 5-7, 1978, which brought 27.1 inches of snow and 79 mph wind gusts to Boston, MA. The 2003 storm produced 11.0 inches in Boston and 17.0 inches in nearby Milton (Blue Hill Observatory), MA, where it was the largest February storm total since 17.8 inches fell from February 8-10, 1994. Mostly dry weather prevailed in Hawaii, consistent with warm-phase (El Ni¤o) conditions in the central equatorial Pacific Ocean, although locally heavy showers overspread western parts of the State at midweek. On February 5-6, 24-hour totals on Kauai reached 1.40 inches in Kokee and 1.15 inches in Wainiha. Meanwhile, unusual warmth dominated most of Alaska, boosting weekly temperatures at least 10 to 30 degrees F above normal across the mainland. McGrath, AK, notched a high of 44 degrees F on February 5 (not a record, but 39 degrees F above normal), followed by a trio of daily-record highs (42, 36, and 40 degrees F) to end the week. Significant precipitation, including some rare February rainfall, overspread western and southern Alaska. During the first 9 days of the month, McGrath received 2.39 inches (more than three times their February normal of 0.74 inch), including a daily-record total of 0.31 inch (all in the form of rain) on February 9. Farther south, Valdez, AK, measured daily-record totals (1.60, 2.32, and 2.57 inches) from February 3-5, totaling 6.49 inches (mostly rain, but including about 19 inches of snow). National Agricultural Summary February 3 - 9, 2003 Most of the weekly precipitation was confined to the lower Mississippi Valley and Southeast, while the persistent pattern of stormy weather abated in the Pacific Northwest. Long-term soil moisture reserves remained below normal across most of the Great Plains, western Corn Belt, upper Mississippi Valley, and Great Lakes, despite light precipitation in many areas. The heaviest precipitation of the week fell along the Gulf Coast and scattered interior areas of the Mississippi Delta and Southeast. Along the southern Atlantic Coastal Plain, light precipitation slightly eroded remaining long-term soil moisture deficits. Temperatures remained slightly below normal in central and northern Florida, but nighttime temperatures were not as cold as in recent weeks, and cold damage was nonexistent. In the southern Peninsula, temperatures averaged slightly above normal, boosting vegetable growth. In California, soil moisture supplies were adequate to support short-term crop development in the central and northern valleys. Dryland wheat and forage crops continued to thrive, but soil moisture supplies were rapidly diminishing. Warm daytime temperatures also contributed to healthy crop development. The warm daytime temperatures also accelerated the bloom cycle in early varieties of peaches and nectarines. Dry weather supported field and orchard work throughout the Southwest, southern Florida, and most of the southern Great Plains. The next "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" report will be released after 12 p.m. ET on February 19, 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). To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C., 20250-9410, or call 202-720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. ACCESS TO REPORTS!! For your convenience, there are several ways to obtain NASS reports, data products, and services: INTERNET ACCESS All NASS reports are available free of charge on the worldwide Internet. For access, connect to the Internet and go to the NASS Home Page at: http:/www.usda.gov/nass/. Select "Today's Reports" or Publications and then Reports Calendar or Publications and then Search, by Title or Subject. E-MAIL SUBSCRIPTION All NASS reports are available by subscription free of charge direct to your e-mail address. Starting with the NASS Home Page at http:/www.usda.gov/nass/, click on Publications, then click on the Subscribe by E-mail button which takes you to the page describing e-mail delivery of reports. Finally, click on Go to the Subscription Page and follow the instructions. AUTOFAX ACCESS NASSFax service is available for some reports from your fax machine. Please call 202-720-2000, using the handset attached to your fax. Respond to the voice prompts. Document 0411 is a list of available reports. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - PRINTED REPORTS OR DATA PRODUCTS CALL OUR TOLL-FREE ORDER DESK: 800-999-6779 (U.S. and Canada) Other areas, please call 703-605-6220 FAX: 703-605-6900 (Visa, MasterCard, check, or money order acceptable for payment.) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ASSISTANCE For assistance with general agricultural statistics or further information about NASS or its products or services, contact the Agricultural Statistics Hotline at 800-727-9540, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, or e-mail: nass@nass.usda.gov.