We 1 (1-04) Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released January 13, 2004, 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 91, No. 2 January 4 - 10, 2004 For additional information, call (202) 720-2397. Highlights: Cold weather invaded much of the United States, but the harshest conditions were observed in the Pacific Northwest, where snow and ice accumulations caused major travel and electrical disruptions as far south as western Oregon. Farther inland, a blanket of snow continued to protect Northwestern winter grains from bitterly cold weather (weekly temperatures more than 20 degrees F below normal in some locations). Meanwhile, cold, dry air overspread the drought-affected Intermountain West, following highly beneficial snowfall in late December and early January. Farther east, snow covered wheat areas across the northern half of the Plains during the cold outbreak (temperatures 4 to 12 degrees F below normal), helping to insulate the poorly established crop. However, only a shallow snow cover existed in most areas from South Dakota southward into northeastern Colorado and northern Kansas. On the southern Plains, extremely dry conditions and a brief cold blast (temperatures below 0 degrees F as far south as northernmost Texas) maintained stress on pastures and winter wheat. In contrast, soil moisture remained adequate to locally excessive in winter wheat areas across the southern and eastern Corn Belt, especially in the Ohio Valley, where additional rain and snow fell. However, dry conditions were a persistent concern in the northern and western Corn Belt, although agricultural impacts were not significant this time of year. Scattered showers swept across the South early in the week and again toward week's end, maintaining generally favorable conditions for winter grains and cool-season pastures despite a gradual drying trend in recent months. Weekly rainfall was heaviest, topping 1 inch, from the central Gulf Coast into the Appalachians. Snow fell late in the week as far south as piedmont sections of the Carolinas, followed by a surge of Arctic air across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern States that resulted in the coldest weather at some locations in nearly a decade. The week began with snow falling in a narrow band across the Plains and Midwest. On January 4, daily snowfall records were established in locations such as Hastings, NE (4.8 inches), and South Bend, IN (3.0 inches). Farther south, January 4 rainfall records in the Ohio and middle Mississippi Valleys included 2.44 inches in Indianapolis, IN, 2.20 inches in St. Louis, MO, and 1.82 inches in Pittsburgh, PA. For Pittsburgh, it was the second-wettest January day on record, behind 2.34 inches on January 8, 1884. Meanwhile, record warmth in the Southeast contrasted with a severe blast of cold air across the Plains and Northwest. Jackson, MS, collected consecutive daily-record highs on January 3-4, measuring 78 degrees F both days, while Norfolk, VA (76, 78, and 76 degrees F from January 3-5), posted three records in a row. On January 5, however, daily-record highs of 81 degrees F in Jacksonville, FL, and Savannah, GA, contrasted with daily-record lows of -45 degrees F in Polebridge, MT, and -36 degrees F near Gunnison, CO. Elsewhere on January 5, Meacham, OR (-31 degrees F), noted an all-time-record low temperature, while West Yellowstone, MT, recorded a low of -43 degrees F and a high of -12 degrees F. With a January 5 high temperature of -15 degrees F, Helena, MT, endured its lowest maximum reading since February 2, 1996. A day later, minimum temperatures of -1 degree F in Amarillo, TX, and -15 degrees F in Kearney, NE, were the stations' lowest since early 1996. The cold weather set the stage for a major winter storm in the Northwest. In Portland, OR, temperatures remained below 32 degrees F for 3 consecutive days (January 5-7), during which time precipitation totaled 0.84 inch. Although Portland's maximum snow depth was officially 4 inches, major ice accumulations were also noted there and elsewhere in western Oregon. Farther east, the weekly average temperature in Pendleton, OR, was 10.4 degrees F (more than 22 degrees F below normal), accompanied by 5.7 inches of snow. Pendleton's cold blast, which included consecutive daily-record lows (-9 and -11 degrees F on January 4-5), followed a late-year snow storm that dropped 9.8 inches from December 27-29. Farther south, according to the California Department of Water Resources, the average water content of the Sierra Nevada snow pack improved to 18 inches (145 percent of normal) by January 11, up from 3 inches at the end of November 2003. Cold air overspread the East by midweek, arriving more forcefully at week's end. Downwind of Lake Michigan, Grand Rapids, MI, received weekly snowfall totaling 18.7 inches, including a daily-record sum of 7.6 inches on January 6. Meanwhile in New York, 24-hour snowfall totals on January 6-7 reached 30.0 inches in Redfield and 30.5 inches in Jamestown. Later in the week, light snow preceded the Arctic blast across the Mid-Atlantic region, where January 9 snowfall totaled 3.0 inches in Raleigh-Durham, NC, and 2.0 inches in Norfolk, VA. Farther north, January 9 highs of 9 degrees F in Boston, MA, and -2 degrees F in Syracuse, NY, were the lowest since January 16, 1994, and January 17, 1982, respectively. On January 10, Northeastern daily-record lows included -28 degrees F in Camden, NY, and -27 degrees F in St. Johnsbury, VT. Elsewhere, it was the coldest morning since January 1994 in locations such as Binghamton, NY (-14 degrees F), and Boston (-3 degrees F), and the coldest since January 1996 in Buffalo, NY (-7 degrees F) and Washington, DC (8 degrees F). Meanwhile, daily-record warmth returned to parts of the West, where daily-record highs on January 9 included 73 degrees F in Bakersfield, CA, and 63 degrees F in Medford, OR. Locally heavy showers lingers across the Big Island of Hawaii early in the week, followed by a statewide return to cool, generally dry weather. On January 4-5, 24-hour Big Island totals included 1.64 inches at Kapapala Ranch and 1.50 inches in Pahoa. Meanwhile on Oahu, Honolulu (60 degrees F) posted a daily-record low for January 5. Farther north, Alaskan weekly weather was fairly uneventful, featuring mild (up to 10 degrees F above normal), dry weather in northern areas and cool weather (as much as 5 degrees F below normal) and light precipitation in southern portions of the State. January 1-10 precipitation totaled 0.43 inch (165 percent of normal) in Anchorage, but only 0.03 inch (8 percent) in King Salmon and a trace in Bethel. National Agricultural Summary January 5 - 11, 2004 Highlights: Temperatures were below normal across most of the Nation, with the only exceptions being in some areas along the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts and the Southwest. Across much of the Pacific Northwest and northern Rocky Mountains, average temperatures for the week were 9 degrees Fahrenheit or more below normal. Minimum temperatures were below zero across the northern and central Rockies, northern and central Great Plains, northern Corn Belt, and Northeast. In the Great Plains and Corn Belt, this cold weather threatened the winter wheat crop left exposed by the lack of snow cover. However, heavy snowfall in the interior Pacific Northwest and Rockies replenished snow cover in those areas. Moderate precipitation fell across the southern Corn Belt, Mississippi Delta, and Appalachians. Rain and snowfall was light to very light along most of the Atlantic Coast and northern Corn Belt. Only scattered, light precipitation fell across the Great Plains, while the Southwest remained almost completely dry. In Florida, harvesting of sugarcane, vegetables, and citrus was active, while near-freezing temperatures concerned some strawberry growers. Cold weather slowed the growth of small grains in Georgia, and conditions of small grains and pastures declined due to lack of precipitation. The Texas cotton harvest was winding down, with sorghum and peanut harvest completed. Condition of small grains deteriorated due to moisture stress. In Arizona, vegetable and citrus harvest was active. Winter wheat planting was nearly complete in California, while wet conditions slowed citrus harvest. The next "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" report will be released after 12 p.m. ET on January 21, 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). 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