We 1 (2-04) Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released February 10, 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. 6 February 1 - 7, 2004 For additional information, call (202) 720-2397. Highlights: A sprawling, mid-week storm system produced widespread snowfall across the central Plains and Midwest. Snow blanketed winter wheat, including previously bare fields on the central High Plains, as far south as Kansas and northern Oklahoma. Meanwhile, the southwestern Corn Belt experienced its third major snow storm in less than 2 weeks, boosting snow depths to record or near-record levels. Precipitation (mostly snow) also fell in other parts of the Midwest, improving moisture reserves in the upper Mississippi Valley and maintaining adequate to locally excessive soil moisture in winter wheat areas of the eastern Corn Belt. In contrast, mostly dry weather prevailed on the southern High Plains, where the most significant precipitation in the last 7 months was a heavy rainfall event on January 15-17. Farther east, heavy rain triggered late-week flooding in the Appalachians and adjacent foothills, especially where creeks and rivers were clogged with ice and soils were saturated or frozen. East of the Appalachians, snow and ice accumulations associated with back-to-back storm systems caused some travel and electrical disruptions. In the South, locally heavy showers recharged soil moisture and aided pastures and winter grains but caused local flooding. Weekly rainfall totaled 4 inches or more in many locations from Mississippi northeastward into eastern Kentucky. Farther west, early- to mid-week rain and snow provided some drought relief in the Southwest and Intermountain West, although water-supply concerns persisted. Meanwhile, Northwestern winter grains continued to benefit from recent soil moisture improvements. Colder-than-normal weather prevailed across much of the Nation, particularly from eastern Montana and the Dakotas southward onto the central Plains, where weekly temperatures ranged from 8 to 22 degrees F below normal. Among the few areas experiencing warm weather was Florida, where readings averaged as much as 6 degrees F above normal. Early in the week, heavy rainfall lingered across Florida, where 2-day (January 31 - February 1) totals reached 2.47 inches in Vero Beach and 4.78 inches in Fort Lauderdale. Farther north, heavy snow blanketed the east-central Plains and western Corn Belt for the second time in a week. Omaha, NE, received 11.3 inches of snow on February 1-2, following a 13.5-inch total on January 25-26. While the first storm system crossed the Midwest and Northeast, a second storm reached the West Coast. On February 2, daily-record rainfall in California included 0.57 inch in Bakersfield and 0.56 inch in Fresno, followed the next day by daily-record snowfall in locations such as Williamsport, PA (7.9 inches), and Albany, NY (6.1 inches). Mixed precipitation totaled 1.10 inches, a daily record for February 3, in Scranton, PA. By mid-week, heavy snow developed in conjunction with the second storm system in the Southwest, totaling 12.0 inches (a record for February 4) in Flagstaff, AZ. Incredibly, snow returned to the east-central Plains and western Corn Belt from February 4-6, totaling another 6.4 inches in Omaha, NE. Elsewhere in Nebraska, Grand Island received consecutive daily-record snowfall totals (5.0 and 7.5 inches on February 4-5). Other record totals for February 5 included 7.0 inches in Des Moines, IA, and 5.5 inches in Topeka, KS. Heavy snow fell as far south as the Ozark Plateau, where Mountain Home, AR, measured 5.0 inches. By late February 5, snow depths reached 21 inches in Sioux Falls, SD, and 26 inches in Sioux City, IA, and Omaha. It was Sioux Falls' greatest snow depth since March 21, 1969, and Sioux City's greatest depth since March 14, 1962. Omaha easily set a February snow depth record, surpassing its 1965 standard of 18 inches. Meanwhile, heavy rain pounded the South. In Tennessee, Nashville netted 4.07 inches on February 5, its third-highest single-day rainfall in February behind 5.20 inches on February 13, 1880, and 4.73 inches on February 14, 1989. Jackson, MS (3.46 inches on February 5), recorded its sixth-highest February daily sum. Pinson, AL, received 7.15 inches in a 24-hour period on February 5-6, edging its all-time record of 7.10 inches set on March 20, 1970. Farther north, London, KY, set consecutive daily-record totals (2.59 and 1.40 inches on February 5-6). Mixed precipitation (snow, sleet, freezing rain, and rain) returned to areas east of the Appalachians on February 5-6. On the latter date, daily-record precipitation totals included 1.70 inches in Asheville, NC, Blacksburg, VA, and Wilmington, DE. In advance of the storm, warm weather prevailed in the southern Atlantic States, resulting in daily-record highs for February 6 in Norfolk, VA (75 degrees F), and Melbourne, FL (85 degrees F). Elsewhere in Florida, Orlando notched consecutive daily-record highs (84 and 85 degrees F) on February 5-6. Toward week's end, chilly weather prevailed in most areas from the Plains eastward. On February 7, Hastings, NE (-11 degrees F), collected a daily-record low. Meanwhile, a new storm system arrived in the West, producing daily-record totals for February 7 in Idaho locations such as Pocatello (0.57 inch) and Burley (0.53 inch). Pocatello's precipitation translated into 10.0 inches of snow. Farther south, February 3-7 snowfall in Salt Lake City, UT, totaled 10.7 inches. Although somewhat quieter weather prevailed in Hawaii, there were still some heavy-rain highlights. Most significantly, February 7-8 totals topped 4 inches at some Oahu locations, including the Wilson Tunnel (5.83 inches in 24 hours). Temperatures generally ranged from 1 to 4 degrees F above normal across Hawaii, with much of the unusual warmth coming at night. For example, Honolulu, Oahu, recorded low temperatures of 70 degrees F or higher on 5 days, compared with a normal low temperature of 65 degrees F during the first week of February. Meanwhile, cold (as much as 15 degrees F below normal), dry weather in western Alaska contrasted with mild, increasingly wet weather across the southeastern part of the State. On Sunday, February 8, daily-record rainfall totals in southeastern Alaska included 3.26 inches in Yakutat and 0.92 inch in Juneau. National Agricultural Summary February 2 - 8, 2004 Highlights: Temperatures were below normal across most of the Nation as another arctic blast hit the Nation's mid-section. Average temperatures for the week were 6 degrees Fahrenheit or more below normal across the northern and central Great Plains, western Corn Belt, and Southwest, with some areas of the northern Great Plains averaging over 20 degrees Fahrenheit below normal. Snowfall from this system was mostly limited to the Corn Belt and did little to replenish snow cover across the northern and central Great Plains. Warm weather in previous weeks had melted the snow cover across much of that region, leaving winter wheat exposed to bitterly cold weather. Elsewhere, heavy rainfall across the Mississippi Delta, Southeast, and Ohio Valley caused some local flooding, with some areas of Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee receiving over 6 inches of rain. Farther north, the precipitation turned to snow and ice across the middle and northern Atlantic Coast States. Light, but widespread precipitation fell across much of the northern and central Rocky Mountains and the interior Pacific Northwest, while the Pacific Coast had moderate rainfall. In Arizona, small grain planting was complete and emergence was nearly complete, while citrus and vegetable growers harvested a wide variety of crops. Rains slowed citrus harvest in some areas of California, but small grain planting neared completion and sugarbeets were showing good progress. The Texas cotton harvest was complete, while small grain condition continued to decline due to dry weather, prompting some growers to replant. In Georgia, heavy rainfall improved conditions of small grains and vegetables, but the mud caused some problems for livestock operations. Rain slowed fieldwork in some areas of Florida, but temperatures remained above freezing across the entire State. 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