We 1 (12-03) Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released December 30, 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. 52 December 21 - 27, 2003 For additional information, call (202) 720-2397. Highlights: One of the most impressive Western winter storms of the season struck the Intermountain region, providing limited drought relief in the form of high-elevation snowfall. However, heavy precipitation also overspread southern California, where mud slides caused locally extensive damage. Farther east, generally light snow blanketed winter wheat areas on the northern Plains, but mostly dry weather and record warmth on the central and southern Plains left wheat exposed to potential weather extremes. The Plains' weekly temperatures ranged from 6 to 20 degrees F above normal. Dry, unusually mild weather also prevailed across the upper Midwest, where readings ranged from 8 to 18 degrees F above normal. Meanwhile, early- to midweek rain and snow showers maintained adequate to locally excessive soil moisture reserves in winter wheat areas across the southern and eastern Corn Belt. The same storm system responsible for the Midwestern precipitation intensified across the Northeast, producing another round of heavy rain and snow. For much of the week, cool weather was confined to the Southeast, where temperatures averaged as much as 6 degrees F below normal. Although scattered showers ended across the South by midweek, conditions remained mostly favorable for winter grains and cool-season pastures. Most of the East reported rain on December 24-25, but some heavy snow fell across the interior Northeast. In addition, snow showers lingered for much of the week downwind of the Great Lakes. Rainfall on Christmas Eve was sufficient to set annual precipitation records in Baltimore, MD (62.56 inches), and Charleston, WV (60.67 inches), eclipsing standards set in 1889 and 1950, respectively. Farther north, Burlington, VT, received 4.0 inches of snow on December 25-26, boosting its monthly total to 53.6 inches and leaving only December 1970 (56.7 inches) as a snowier month in the city's history. Much heavier snows were reported at higher elevations in Vermont (and elsewhere in the interior Northeast), including 16.0 inches on Jay Peak. Warmth briefly overspread New England in advance of the storm system, resulting in consecutive daily-record highs (52 and 51 degrees F) on December 24-25 in Bangor, ME. Prior to last week, most of the Western storminess was confined to northern California and the Northwest. However, the week opened on a wet note in parts of the Intermountain West, where Salt Lake City, UT (0.74 inch, or 4.3 inches of snow), netted a daily-record total for December 21. A stronger storm arrived at midweek, resulting in December 25-28 precipitation in Salt Lake City totaling 2.31 inches (19.4 inches of snow). At the height of the storm on December 25-26, 24-hour snowfall reached 37.5 inches in Alta, UT. Storm-total snowfall reached 58.0 inches in Alta, while elsewhere in Utah, snowfall included 63.0 inches in Farmington Canyon and 71.5 inches at Snowbird. Farther north, Pocatello, ID, received 13.0 inches of snow on December 26, breaking its single-day December snowfall record of 12.0 inches, set in 1919. Heavy snow also blanketed parts of western and central Montana, including 20 inches in Lewistown. Meanwhile, heavy rainfall pelted southern California. During a 30-hour period ending on the evening of December 25, rainfall totaled 4 to 8 inches, with locally higher totals, at a few mountain locations in southern California, including Lytle Creek (8.57 inches), Manzanita Flats (8.03 inches), and Mt. Baldy (6.14 inches). Farther east, cold weather lingered early in the week in the Atlantic Coast States. On December 21, Gainesville, FL, posted a daily-record low of 22 degrees F. In contrast, periodic warmth on the central and southern Plains set several daily-record highs. Amarillo, TX (77 degrees F), notched a daily-record high on December 21, followed by another round of records on Friday. Record highs on December 26 included 74 degrees F in Abilene, TX, and 69 degrees F in Garden City, KS. At week's end, some of the record warmth overspread the Midwest, where records for December 27 included 50 degrees F in Madison, WI, and 40 degrees F in Duluth, MN. At the same time, the coldest weather of the season overspread southern California and the Southwest. By Sunday morning, December 28, Phoenix, AZ (32 degrees F), recorded its first freeze since January 3, 2000, when the low was also 32 degrees F. Very cold weather returned to Alaska, especially across southern and western portions of the State, holding weekly temperatures as much as 14 degrees F below normal. Some additional snow fell, mostly across the southern half of Alaska. December 22-28 snowfall included 9.9 inches in Anchorage and 27.3 inches in Valdez, boosting the stations' respective month-to-date totals to 36.4 and 84.6 inches. Last year, December 1-28 snowfall totaled 20.7 inches in Anchorage and 22.7 inches in Valdez. By December 28, however, precipitation and mild weather overspread western Alaska, resulting in a daily-record snowfall of 5.5 inches in Nome and a high of 44 degrees F (not a daily record) in King Salmon. Meanwhile, locally heavy rainfall associated with a developing "kona low" swept across Hawaii late in the week, ending a period of about 10 days with only light, scattered showers. On December 27-28, 24-hour totals included 3.20 inches in Hana, Maui, and 2.18 inches in Kokee, Kauai. National Agricultural Summary December 22 - 28, 2003 Highlights: Temperatures were above normal across most of the nation, especially in the Great Plains, western Corn Belt, and New England, where temperatures averaged 9 degrees Fahrenheit or more above normal. Only the Southeast had below-normal temperatures. A wide swath of light to moderate rainfall extended from the southeastern Great Plains to New England, encompassing the Mississippi Delta, the southern and eastern Corn Belt, the middle Atlantic Coast States, and parts of the Southeast, but missing the southern Atlantic Coast states. The western Corn Belt and northern and central Great Plains remained dry. Light to moderate precipitation fell across most of the Rocky Mountains, the Pacific Northwest, and California, with the heaviest rainfall along the Pacific Coast. In California, rainfall slowed field preparation for next year's row crops and hampered orchard and vineyard work, while most vegetable crops progressed well and livestock conditions improved. Harvest of sugarcane, citrus crops, and vegetables was active in Florida. The Arizona cotton harvest was winding down and harvest of vegetables and citrus in the State was active. In Hawaii, bananas and papayas were in fair to good condition, but low yields were expected for some vegetable crops. The next "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" report will be released after 12 p.m. ET on January 6, 2004. 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. 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