We 1 (12-03) Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released December 9, 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 Brian T. Young at (202) 720-7621, office hours 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET. National Weather Summary Volume 90, No. 49 November 30 - December 6, 2003 For additional information, call (202) 720-2397. Highlights: Wet conditions expanded slightly in the West to encompass northern and central California and much of the Northwest, but unfavorably dry conditions persisted for a third consecutive week across drought-affected areas of the Great Basin, central and southern Rockies, and Southwest. Weekly temperatures were above normal throughout the West, averaging as much as 14 degrees F above normal across the interior Northwest. Meanwhile on the Plains, rainfall was confined to eastern Kansas, where a developing storm system produced showers and thunderstorms on December 2-3. Elsewhere, persistent dryness continued to adversely affect the Plains' winter wheat crop. Wheat stress remained most significant on the southern High Plains, where temperatures (up to 6 degrees F above normal) were high enough to support additional crop development, but growth was limited by soil moisture shortages. Farther east, dry weather returned to Lower Michigan, although wet fields continued to hamper final corn harvesting. Elsewhere in the Midwest, mid- to late-week snowfall in conjunction with an intensifying storm system briefly disrupted travel from Iowa to Ohio. Much heavier snow, accompanied by high winds, developed toward week's end from the Mid-Atlantic States into the Northeast, where temperatures averaged as much as 10 degrees F below normal. In addition, some ice accumulations were briefly noted as far south as the southern Mid-Atlantic region. Cool weather (as much as 8 degrees F below normal) also prevailed across the South, slowing the development of winter grains and cool-season pastures. However, dry weather for most of the week favored late-autumn fieldwork in the southern Atlantic region. Mild, dry weather prevailed across the majority of the Nation, resulting in a smattering of daily-record highs. On the last day of November, record highs were established in locations such as Roswell, NM (81 degrees F), and Ashland, KS (77 degrees F). A day later in Arizona, record highs for December 1 included 79 degrees F in Douglas and 75 degrees F in Safford. Following briefly cooler weather, record warmth returned to parts of the West at week's end. On December 6, record highs were established in Bakersfield, CA (72 degrees F), and St. Johns, AZ (71 degrees F). Heavy precipitation also spread into the Far West at week's end, boosting December 1-7 rainfall to 2.57 inches in Redding, CA, and 2.41 inches in Salem, OR. Precipitation developed in parts of the Corn Belt late December 2 and periodically continued into early December 6. The most significant stripe of Midwestern snow stretched from Iowa to Ohio. In Iowa, Des Moines netted 8.7 inches in a 4-day period ending December 5, while Mansfield, OH, collected 7.8 inches on December 5-6. Much more impressive snowfall totals were noted in the Northeast, where Providence, RI (17.0 inches from December 5-7), experienced its greatest December snowfall (previously, 12.0 inches on December 5-6, 1981). Meanwhile in New York, Albany's 18.0-inch total represented its second-earliest snowfall of 18 inches or greater, behind only 22.5 inches on November 24-25, 1971. Several locations posted consecutive daily-record snowfall totals, including Newark, NJ (8.0 and 8.5 inches on December 5-6), Providence (8.7 and 4.0 inches on December 6-7), and Albany (12.5 and 5.5 inches on December 6-7). Peak wind gusts reported on December 6 included 48 m.p.h. in Boston, MA, and 40 m.p.h. in Providence, RI. A day later, gusts along the New England coast reached 82 m.p.h. on Mount Desert Rock, ME, and 72 m.p.h. on the Isles of Shoals, NH. The last day of November featured heavy snow in parts of Alaska, including 4.7 inches in Anchorage and a daily-record total of 4.8 inches in Kotzebue. Very cold, mostly dry weather prevailed across mainland Alaska thereafter, holding weekly temperatures 8 to 18 degrees F below normal. On December 2-3, Bettles, AK, notched consecutive daily-record lows of -55 and -53 degrees F. Heavy precipitation was confined to southernmost Alaska, where Kodiak (1.65 inches) collected a daily-record total on December 3. Meanwhile in Hawaii, a very active weather pattern continued, particularly across windward sections of the islands. On Kauai, Lihue netted a daily-record total of 3.41 inches on November 30, accounting for more than 70 percent of its monthly rainfall. Hawaiian weekly rainfall totals included 18.96 inches on Kauai's Mount Waialeale, 14.49 inches at the Wilson Tunnel on Oahu, and 11.47 inches in West Wailuaiki, Maui. The majority of the precipitation fell in a 72-hour period from December 3-6, when respective totals at the three locations reached 14.68, 11.20, and 10.71 inches. National Agricultural Summary December 1 - 7, 2003 Highlights: Average temperatures were above normal across the western two-thirds of the Nation, extending into the central Corn Belt. Much of the Pacific Northwest, Rocky Mountains, northern Great Plains, and western Corn Belt averaged 6 degrees Fahrenheit or more above normal. However, snow continued to cover most of these areas, providing protection for winter wheat. On the Atlantic Coast, temperatures were 6 degrees Fahrenheit below normal. The Ohio Valley, Southeast, and Mississippi Delta also had below-normal temperatures. For the second week in a row, freezing temperatures reached as far south as the Gulf Coast. Precipitation was moderate in the middle Atlantic Coast States and the Northeast and was mostly snow. Most areas of the Southeast and Ohio Valley had light to moderate rainfall. Light precipitation fell across much of the Corn Belt but missed the northern part of the region. The Great Plains continued to have little or no rain, increasing stress on winter wheat. In the Rocky Mountains, conditions were mostly dry but with some patches of light rain or snow. Heavy precipitation fell in the coastal areas of the Pacific Northwest but mostly missed the crop-producing areas further inland. 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