We 1 (1-04) Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released January 27, 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. 4 January 18 - 24, 2004 For additional information, call (202) 720-2397. Highlights: For the third consecutive week, bitterly cold air remained entrenched across the lower Great Lakes region and the Northeast, where weekly temperatures averaged as much as 12 degrees F below normal. Cold air was still in place at week's end when moisture began to overrun the Ohio Valley and the East, producing widespread snow, sleet, and freezing rain. Cold weather expanded its grip to encompass much of the Midwest, although the harshest conditions--including snow squalls downwind of the Great Lakes--were confined to the northern and eastern Corn Belt. Although below-normal temperatures prevailed across the South, freezes were not a concern in winter agricultural areas of southern Texas and peninsular Florida. On January 21, temperatures in the range of 25 to 30 degrees F in southern Louisiana were not low enough to cause significant concern for new sugarcane growth. Elsewhere, the cool weather slowed or halted the growth of winter grains and cool-season pastures, but provided beneficial chill hours for Southern fruit trees. Late in the week, heavy rain (locally 2 inches or more) overspread areas from the western Gulf Coast region to the Delta, boosting soil moisture reserves. Farther west, the High Plains experienced mild (temperatures generally 2 to 12 degrees F above normal), dry weather until late in the week, when an Arctic cold front edged into Montana. Some precipitation accompanied the cold intrusion into Montana, bolstering winter wheat's protective snow cover. At week's end, however, wheat fields were mostly bare from western Nebraska southward into Texas. For the second week in a row, mild, mostly dry weather prevailed in much of the West. Exceptions included the Northwest, where rain and snow showers continued, and the Intermountain West, where foggy conditions and air stagnation issues persisted. Early in the week, a departing East Coast storm dropped heavy snow in northern New England. Snowfall was especially heavy across northern Maine, where January 18-19 totals reached 21.5 inches in Presque Isle and 15.3 inches in Caribou. Farther south, Bridgeport, CT, netted a daily-record snowfall of 6.5 inches on January 18. Meanwhile, locally heavy showers and thunderstorms swept across Florida, generating numerous daily-record totals. Florida records for January 18 included 2.03 inches in Ft. Myers, 1.36 inches in Naples, and 1.18 inches in Lakeland. By midweek, the focus for significant precipitation shifted to Arizona, where daily-record totals for January 22 included 0.60 inch in Tucson and 0.35 inch in Phoenix. On Arizona's Mogollon Rim, January 20-22 snowfall in Flagstaff reached 6.0 inches. Toward week's end, the storm system responsible for the Southwestern precipitation moved eastward, sparking heavy rainfall in the western Gulf Coast region. Daily-record totals for January 24 included 2.56 inches in Shreveport, LA, 2.29 inches in College Station, TX, and 2.05 inches in Texarkana, AR. Since most of the frozen precipitation associated with the storm did not arrive in the Midwest and East until Sunday, January 25, the event will be covered in next week's summary. Toward week's end, snow preceded and accompanied a new surge of Arctic air across areas from the northern Plains into the Northeast. On January 23-24, light snow was widespread from the upper Midwest into the Mid-Atlantic region. By Sunday morning, January 25, the minimum of -7 degrees F in Cleveland, OH, was its lowest temperature since February 4, 1996, when it was -10 degrees F. In Michigan, Flint's January 25 minimum of -16 degrees F was its lowest temperature since February 10, 1994, when the low dipped to -19 degrees F. Farther west, daily-record snowfall totals for January 24 included 4.6 inches in Glasgow, MT, and 4.5 inches in Williston, ND. In contrast, the season-to-date snowfall in Denver, CO, stood at just 7.9 inches, including 1.8 inches in January. Meanwhile, snow-covered Western valleys had little relief from persistently cold, foggy conditions. In Salt Lake City, UT, where snow depths ranged from 3 to 4 inches, temperatures climbed no higher than 27 degrees F during the week. As a result, Salt Lake City set a record for its longest streak--22 days from January 3-24--with temperatures remaining below the freezing mark, surpassing its standard of 18 consecutive days most recently attained from December 20, 1990 - January 6, 1991. Salt Lake City also continued to receive sporadic light snow, stretching its streak of days with at least a trace of precipitation to 31 (December 25 - January 24) and demolishing its record of 24 days set from November 17 - December 10, 1983. Farther west, Elko, NV, reached 32 degrees F on January 24, ending its fifth-longest spell with temperatures below the freezing mark at 13 days (January 11-23). Elko's longest such streak was 19 days, set from December 19, 1990 - January 6, 1991. Elsewhere in Nevada, Wells (-20 degrees F) notched a daily-record low on January 22. Following Hawaii's high-wind event of January 14, gusty winds returned to Oahu and Maui Counties on January 22-23, followed by a severe weather outbreak on January 25. Peak wind gusts on January 22-23 on Oahu included 60 m.p.h. at Wheeler Air Force Base and 47 m.p.h. in Honolulu. On January 25, a funnel cloud was spotted in Honolulu, while a tornado was reported near Mililani, Oahu. Locally heavy rainfall accompanied the unsettled weather, with 24-hour totals topping 5 inches in locations such as the Big Island's Kapapala Ranch (5.32 inches on January 22-23) and Makapulapai, Molokai (5.43 inches on January 24-25). On Kauai, Lihue (3.23 inches on January 22) collected a daily-record sum. Meanwhile in Alaska, temperatures returned to near- to above-normal levels. Valdez, AK (42 degrees F on January 23), posted a daily-record high. Significant precipitation was confined to southern Alaska, where weekly totals included 3.30 inches in Yakutat and 2.26 inches on Annette Island. National Agricultural Summary January 19 - 25, 2004 Highlights: Temperatures were below normal in the eastern half of the Nation, averaging 9 degrees Fahrenheit or more below normal in the Great Lakes Region, Ohio Valley, and Northeast. In the western half of the Nation, temperatures were above normal, except in central California and the Great Basin. Conditions were dry across most of the Nation, though some moderate to heavy precipitation occurred in the Mississippi Delta and Pacific Northwest. Only light, scattered precipitation fell across the Corn Belt and Great Plains. The Atlantic Coast States were also mostly dry, though southern Florida received moderate rainfall. In Texas, some small grain acreage benefited from rainfall, but much of the acreage in the Plains was still stressed by extremely dry conditions. Harvest of sugarcane and vegetables was active in Florida, and nearly ideal weather was reported for citrus crops. The California citrus harvest continued with few delays and sugarbeets were progressing well, but growth of small grains was limited by cool temperatures. In Arizona, citrus and vegetable harvest was active and small grain seeding was progressing normally. The banana crop was in fair to good condition in Hawaii and papaya harvest was active. The next "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" report will be released after 12 p.m. ET on February 3, 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. 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: 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 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. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 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.