We 1 (1-04) Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released January 21, 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. 3 January 11 - 17, 2004 For additional information, call (202) 720-2397. Highlights: A late-week storm system produced as much as 2 to 4 inches of rain--ending as wet snow--on the southern Plains, halting a 2-month spell with little or no precipitation and generally aiding drought-stressed pastures and winter grains, but causing local flash flooding. Dry weather prevailed elsewhere on the Plains, accompanied by a warming trend that boosted weekly temperatures 8 to 20 degrees F above normal. Farther east, a storm system reached the southern and eastern Corn Belt late in the week, producing rain, freezing rain, and snow. The precipitation caused local travel disruptions but maintained adequate to locally excessive soil moisture reserves. Elsewhere in the Midwest, dry conditions persisted in the upper Mississippi Valley, accompanied by a return to mild weather, while snow showers prevailed for much of the week downwind of the Great Lakes. Meanwhile, the Northeastern cold outbreak of January 9-11 was followed by another Arctic cold snap from January 14-16, holding weekly temperatures as much as 20 degrees F below normal. Many Northeastern locations reported their lowest temperatures in nearly a decade; a few had not been colder since December 1980 or January 1968. Elsewhere, rain showers and colder weather overspread the South at week's end, maintaining mostly favorable conditions for winter wheat and cool-season pastures. Meanwhile, mostly dry weather prevailed in the West, following late-December and early-January storminess that boosted high-elevation snow packs and blanketed Northwestern winter grains. However, cold air remained trapped in valleys across the Intermountain West, holding temperatures more than 10 degrees F below normal in a few locations and causing air stagnation problems. Early in the week, bitterly cold conditions lingered across the Northeast, while mild weather returned to most of the remainder of the Nation. In New Hampshire, January 11 lows of -30 degrees F in Berlin and -31 degrees F in Whitefield contrasted with daily-record highs in locations such as Chatsworth, CA (82 degrees F), and Mason City, IA (48 degrees F). By midweek, windy, extremely cold conditions again overspread the Northeast, where January 13 wind gusts in Worcester, MA, reached 56 m.p.h. New England's highest peak, Mt. Washington, NH, noted four consecutive daily-record lows, including minima of -45 degrees F on January 14 and 16. Those minima represented Mt. Washington's lowest readings since January 8, 1968, when the low was -46 degrees F. In Maine, Bangor's high of -6 degrees F on January 14 was its lowest maximum temperature on record in January, tying a 1965 standard. In addition, a burst of snow overspread the Great Lakes and Northeastern States on January 14-15, totaling 10.9 inches in White Lake, MI, 7.7 inches in State College, PA, and 7.4 inches in Newark, NJ. By January 16, Northeastern daily-record lows included -7 degrees F in Boston, MA, -6 degrees F in Providence, RI, and -4 degrees F in Scranton, PA. Boston's reading was its lowest since December 25, 1980, when the low was also -7 degrees F. Farther south, locally heavy rain showers developed on January 15 in Texas, where San Angelo (1.04 inches) collected a daily-record total. Rainfall intensified the following day, when daily-record totals in Texas included 3.21 inches in Waco and 2.27 inches in Dallas-Ft. Worth. Joplin, MO, received 0.97 inch on January 16, followed by another daily-record total (1.47 inches) the next day. Daily records for January 17 were also set in locations such as Springfield, MO (1.61 inches), Wichita, KS (1.40 inches), and Lubbock, TX (1.39 inches; ending as 1 inch of wet snow). Lubbock's January 15-17 total of 1.90 inches ended its eighth-longest spell without measurable precipitation at 60 days (November 16 - January 14) and represented the Texas city's highest 3-day rainfall since 3.52 inches fell from October 22-24, 2002. Despite mild, dry weather in much of the West, cold, foggy conditions persisted across interior parts of the region. January 11-17 temperatures averaged 17 degrees F (12 degrees F below normal) in Salt Lake City, UT, and 11 degrees F (14 degrees F below normal) in Elko, NV, remaining below 30 degrees F for the entire week in both locations. A substantial snow cover--4 inches in Salt Lake City and 6 inches in Elko--helped to maintain the chilly conditions. In addition, Salt Lake City reported at least a trace of snow on each day during the week, stretching its streak of consecutive days with precipitation to 24 (December 25 - January 17 ). The 24-day streak tied Salt Lake City's all-time record, previously set from November 17 - December 10, 1983. Although Salt Lake City's 24-day total reached 2.73 inches, most of the precipitation (2.49 inches, including 21.9 inches of snow) fell from December 25-29. Cold, dry weather prevailed across the Alaskan mainland, where weekly temperatures averaged as much as 14 degrees F below normal. In McGrath, temperatures fell to -40 degrees F or lower on 4 consecutive days from January 16-19, including lows of -48 degrees F on the 18th and 19th. Monthly precipitation totals through January 18 were as low as a trace (0.36 inch below normal) in Bethel, 0.03 inch (5 percent of normal) in King Salmon, and 0.09 inch (14 percent) in McGrath. Significant precipitation was confined to southeastern Alaska, where Ketchikan noted a daily-record rainfall of 4.22 inches on January 17. Meanwhile, widespread, generally light showers were confined to the western and central Hawaiian islands during the first half of the week. On Kauai, Lihue (0.74 inch) netted a daily-record total on January 14. Among the highest 24-hour amounts on Maui were totals of 3.56 inches at Hana Airport on January 12-13 and 4.81 inches at Kaupo Gap on January 14-15. Meanwhile on the Big Island, January 1-18 rainfall at Hilo totaled just 0.87 inch (15 percent of normal). National Agricultural Summary January 12 - 18, 2004 Highlights: Throughout the Great Plains and western Corn Belt, temperatures were very mild, with record highs in many locations. Temperatures were below normal along the Atlantic Coast, particularly in the Northeast, where record lows were recorded. The Great Basin also had below-normal temperatures, while temperatures were above normal in the Pacific Coast States, Mississippi Delta, and most of the Southeast. Dry conditions persisted in the northern and central Great Plains, Rocky Mountains, and Southwest. The southern Great Plains had moderate to heavy rainfall, with moderate precipitation extending into adjacent areas of the Mississippi Valley and Gulf Coast. Precipitation was light in the Southeast, Ohio Valley, and Northeast. In California, small grain seeding continued and harvest of citrus and vegetable crops was active, though flooding limited fieldwork in some areas. Small grain planting was progressing at the normal pace in Arizona, while growers shipped a wide variety of vegetable and citrus crops. Rains in Texas halted the cotton harvest and delayed harvesting of citrus crops and sugarcane, but were welcomed by small grains growers. In Georgia, cold weather slowed growth of small grains and pastures. The next "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" report will be released after 12 p.m. ET on January 27, 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). 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