We 1 (3-04) Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released March 2, 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. 9 February 22 - 28, 2004 For additional information, call (202) 720-2397 or 720-7919. HIGHLIGHTS: Unsettled weather across the West boosted high-elevation snow packs and provided some drought relief but caused local flooding. Following an early-week, major storm across the Southwest, a second powerful system reached the West Coast at midweek. The two-storm combination improved previously bleak spring and summer runoff prospects in river basins across parts of the Great Basin, southern Rockies, and Southwest. The early-week Southwestern storm slowly progressed across the Nation's southern tier, generating widespread precipitation. On the southern Plains, early- to mid-week rain and snow improved topsoil moisture for pastures and newly vegetative winter wheat. Toward week's end, a mixture of rain and snow associated with the second storm began to affect the northern and central Plains, where weekly temperatures ranged from 3 to 11 deg F above normal. Despite the precipitation, subsoil moisture shortages remained a concern throughout the Plains' winter wheat areas. Meanwhile, wet conditions dominated the South, although drier air overspread areas west of the Delta by midweek and reached the East Coast by week's end. Some snow and sleet fell at midweek from central Texas to the Tennessee Valley, but heavy snow developed on February 26 in and east of the southern Appalachians. In fact, it was one of the heaviest snowfalls on record in parts of the Carolinas. Farther north, however, a relatively quiet week in the Midwest favored overwintering wheat from the middle Mississippi Valley to the lower Great Lakes States. Light precipitation was generally confined to the northern Corn Belt, including Michigan, where a snow cover persisted. At week's end, a Midwestern warming trend boosted weekly temperatures as much as 11 deg F above normal across the western Corn Belt and signaled an approaching storm. Early in the week, a snow storm was winding down across eastern New England, while locally heavy precipitation accompanied a slow-moving storm across the South. Early-week snowfall in Maine reached 10 inches in Albion, Camden, and Charleston. Meanwhile, daily-record rainfall for February 22 included 1.21 inches in Santa Maria, CA, and 0.68 inch in Las Vegas, NV. A day later in the Southwest, Phoenix, AZ (0.94 inch), collected a daily-record total, while Albuquerque, NM (0.90 inch), had its greatest daily total in February in more than 70 years. Heavy precipitation continued to make eastward progress by February 24, when daily records included 1.96 inches in Waco, TX, and 2.22 inches in Tampa, FL. Elsewhere in Florida, Brooksville received 6.06 inches of rain in 24 hours on February 24-25. At midweek, heavy precipitation fell along the West Coast and in the Southeast. Precipitation records for February 25 were set in locations such as Mobile, AL (4.40 inches), Santa Barbara, CA (3.34 inches), Naples, FL (2.56 inches), and Reno, NV (1.12 inches). Reno's total marked its wettest day since December 12, 1995, when 1.74 inches fell. Meanwhile, rain changed to snow on the southern Plains, where Abilene reported consecutive daily-record snowfall totals (1.2 and 1.4 inches on Feb. 24-25). Much heavier snow developed in the southern Mid-Atlantic region on February 26, when daily-record totals reached 11.6 inches in Charlotte, NC, and 8.0 inches in Greenville-Spartanburg (GSP), SC. February 26-27 snowfall reached 13.2 inches in Charlotte, representing its third-greatest storm total behind 17.4 inches from February 14-17, 1902, and 13.3 inches on March 1-2, 1927. GSP's 8.3-inch snowfall was its ninth-greatest storm total. According to unofficial reports, snowfall reached 20 inches in Randolph County, 19 inches in Stanly County, and 18 inches in parts of Davidson, Burke, and Caldwell Counties, NC. Farther west, another storm hammered areas west of the Rockies. On February 25-26, Pasadena, CA, received 5.07 inches, breaking its 24-hour record for February (previously, 4.50 inches on Feb. 27-28, 1991). Snowfall approached or exceeded 30 inches in some Ventura and Los Angeles Mountain locations above 7,000 feet, including Mount Baldy. High wind gusts in California associated with the Western system included 100 m.p.h. on 3,849-foot Mt. Diablo, near San Francisco, and 61 m.p.h. in Sacramento. Farther inland, 6.7 inches of snow on February 28 in Pocatello propelled the Idaho city to its snowiest February on record (26.8 inches), breaking the 1922 record of 23.4 inches. Meanwhile in southwestern Utah, February 26-28 snowfall reached 42 inches in Duck Creek Village and 36 inches at Brian Head. At week's end, showers and thunderstorms erupted on the southern Plains, while snow developed on parts of the northern and central Plains. For the 24-hour period ending at 6 a.m. CST on February 29, rainfall on the Texas High Plains included 0.88 inch in Amarillo and 0.87 inch in Lubbock. Warm weather prevailed in advance of the Western storm, resulting in consecutive daily-record highs (44 and 45 deg F on Feb. 27-28) in International Falls, MN. Meanwhile in South Dakota, daily records included 65 deg F (on Feb. 26) in Pierre and 66 deg F (on Feb. 27) in Kennebec. The week began with a period of warm, mostly dry weather in Hawaii, including a daily-record high of 86 deg F in Honolulu, Oahu, on February 24. Two days later, however, heavy showers overspread the western Hawaiian Islands, resulting in Honolulu's fourth-highest daily total (3.07 inches) on record during February. Even heavier rain arrived the following day (5.43 inches on Feb. 27), when Honolulu netted its second-highest February daily sum, behind only 5.52 inches on February 23, 1955. Selected 24-hour totals included 4.13 inches (on Feb. 26-27) in Lihue, Kauai, 5.63 inches (on Feb. 27-28) in Honolulu, Oahu, 7.61 inches (on Feb. 27-28) in Kaneohe, Oahu, 8.92 inches (on Feb. 27-28) in Haleakala, Maui, and 4.42 inches (on Feb. 27-28) in Opihihale, Hawaii. Meanwhile, mild, mostly dry weather prevailed across most of Alaska, with the greatest weekly departures (10 to 16 deg F) observed across southwestern and south-central sections of the State. Significant precipitation (more than 0.5 inches) was restricted to southern Alaska, while bitterly cold weather was confined to northernmost parts of the State. Alaskan daily-record highs on February 23 included 46 deg F in Yakutat and 40 deg F in Valdez. Three days later, St. Paul Island, AK, posted a daily-record high of 38 deg F. National Agricultural Summary February 23 - 29, 2004 Highlights: Moderate to heavy precipitation returned to the Mississippi Delta and Southeast, including some snow and freezing rain in northern parts of the regions. This same system brought moderate precipitation, including some snow, to the southern Great Plains, where pastures and small grain crops needed moisture. Unfavorably dry conditions persisted across the central and northern Great Plains, where moisture remains a concern for winter wheat growers. The Corn Belt was also dry, except for widespread but light precipitation across Wisconsin and Michigan and a few widely scattered pockets of light precipitation elsewhere. Farther west, moderate to heavy showers blanketed the Pacific Coast, while light to moderate precipitation covered the Intermountain Region and the Rocky Mountains. The middle and northern Atlantic Coast States were mostly dry, though light precipitation fell in some areas. Temperatures were above normal across the Pacific Northwest, northern and central Rocky Mountains, northern and central Great Plains, and Corn Belt. Below-average temperatures prevailed across California and the Southwest, southern Great Plains, Mississippi Delta, Southeast, and Atlantic Coast. In Florida, rainfall slowed sugarcane harvest, as well as land preparation for corn and peanuts, and planting and harvesting of various vegetable crops. Cold weather during the past 2 weeks is expected to delay full bloom in citrus orchards. Wet conditions in Georgia were causing mud problems on livestock operations and hampering field preparation for summer crops. Small grains were in need of nitrogen, but conditions were too wet for top-dressing. In Texas, widespread precipitation improved soil moisture conditions, benefiting small grains. Corn and sorghum planting was underway in southern parts of the State, but most fields were too wet to plant. In California, small grains benefited from abundant rainfall, but flooding was reported in some areas. Wet conditions halted citrus harvest. Sugarbeets showed good progress. The next "Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin" report will be released after 12 p.m. ET on March 9, 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.) 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