We 1 (12-04) Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released December 28, 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 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. National Weather Summary Volume 91, No. 52 December 19 - 25, 2004 For additional information, call (202) 720-2397. Highlights: A pair of historic snow storms struck parts of the South and East. The first storm arrived on December 22-23, blanketing the southern High Plains with a few inches of snow and dumping heavy snow from Arkansas northeastward to the lower Great Lakes region. The second storm affected the Deep South on December 24-25, providing the first measurable snowfall in Brownsville, Texas, since February 1895, and in New Orleans, Louisiana, since December 1989. Farther north, cold, mostly dry weather prevailed across the northern Plains and upper Midwest. A patchy, shallow snow cover was a concern for winter wheat in Montana, where temperatures briefly plunged as low as -25 degrees F just 4 days after highs had approached or reached 60 degrees F. Toward week's end, cold weather invaded the Deep South. On Christmas morning, temperatures in southern Texas' winter agricultural areas ranged from 24 to 28 degrees F. Although southern Texas' citrus, sugarcane, and winter vegetables escaped significant damage, crops will be monitored for freeze effects. In particular, sugarcane will be watched due to a rapid warming trend in the days following the freeze. Elsewhere, near- to below-normal temperatures prevailed nationwide, except in eastern Maine and parts of the Northwest. Weekly readings averaged more than 10 degrees F below normal in snow-covered areas of the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes States. Meanwhile, little precipitation fell in the West for the second consecutive week. The December dry spell was of greatest concern across the interior Northwest, which was largely bypassed by widespread Western storminess in October and November. Snow packs were still mostly above-normal for late December in the Great Basin and the Southwest, although reservoir levels remained very low due to the effects of a multi-year drought. Early in the week, record warmth across the northern Plains and the West contrasted with bitterly cold weather in the Great Lakes and Eastern States. On December 19, Sault Ste. Marie, MI, posted a daily-record low of -20 degrees F. Meanwhile, daily-record highs in southern California included 85 degrees F in Santa Ana and 83 degrees F in Fullerton. Record highs were also set on Sunday across the northern High Plains, where readings in Montana reached 60 degrees F in Miles City and 59 degrees F in Great Falls. By Monday, cold, windy conditions swept into the East. Daily-record lows in West Virginia for December 20 included -4 degrees F in Bluefield and -2 degrees F in Parkersburg. Farther west, the most significant snowfall of the season arrived on December 20 across the upper Midwest, where daily-record totals in Wisconsin included 7.6 inches in Green Bay and 6.5 inches in LaCrosse. Elsewhere on December 20, the season's first measurable snow (0.2 inch) fell in Sioux Falls, SD. The previous record for the latest first measurable snow in Sioux Falls was established on December 7, 1963. Elsewhere on the Plains, record warmth briefly prevailed in advance of a powerful cold front. Daily-record highs for December 20 were established in locations such as Childress, TX (78 degrees F), and Salina, KS (69 degrees F). By December 23, however, Havre, MT, posted a low of -25 degrees F, just 4 days after an early-week high of 60 degrees F. By midweek, the rapid development of a major winter storm resulted in heavy rain in parts of the South and East, dumped heavy snow on the southern High Plains and from Arkansas to the lower Great Lakes region, and drew frigid air deep into the South. December 22 was the snowiest day on record in Evansville, IN (19.3 inches; previously 10.9 inches on February 25, 1993), and Paducah, KY (14.0 inches; previously, 11.0 inches on January 16, 1978). In Ohio, Dayton set a 24-hour snowfall record of 16.0 inches on December 22-23, erasing the mark of 12.2 inches set on January 26, 1978. Unofficial, isolated snowfall totals in excess of 30 inches were reported in southeastern Indiana. Farther south, a second storm system took aim on parts of Texas, where December 24-25 snowfall totals reached 12.5 inches in Victoria, 4.4 inches in Corpus Christi, and 1.5 inches in Brownsville. Corpus Christi's total surpassed its 24-hour snowfall record of 4.3 inches, established on February 14, 1895. Brownsville experienced its first measurable snowfall since February 1895. As snow ended across Deep South Texas and depths ranged from 1 to 5 inches, Christmas morning temperatures fell to 25 degrees F in McAllen and 28 degrees F in Brownsville. On December 24-25, durations of temperatures at or below 32 degrees F reached 22 hours in McAllen and 17 hours in Brownsville. However, readings at or below 28 degrees F were observed for only 4 hours in McAllen and less than 1 hour in Brownsville. Farther east, 0.5 inch of snow and sleet fell in New Orleans, LA, on December 25, marking the city's first measurable snowfall since 0.5 inch fell on December 22, 1989, and first Christmas Day snowfall since a trace fell in 1954. A trace of sleet fell in Columbia, SC, late on December 25, representing its first frozen precipitation on Christmas Day since 1924. Elsewhere on Christmas, daily-record snowfall totals were noted in some areas downwind of the Great Lakes, including Marquette, MI (11.7 inches). Several snow-covered locations, including Marquette (-18 and -24 degrees F), Evansville, IN (-10 and -11 degrees F), and Paducah, KY (-6 and -8 degrees F), reported consecutive daily-record lows on December 24 and 25. Embarrass, MN, registered a low temperature of -45 degrees F on December 24, while Caribou, ME (48 degrees F), notched a daily-record high. Elsewhere, mid- to late-week rainfall records were established in several Southern and Eastern locations, including El Dorado, AR (2.55 inches on December 22), Williamsport, PA (1.34 inches on December 23), and Melbourne, FL (2.28 inches on December 25). Mild weather in southern Alaska contrasted with cold conditions (as much as 10 degrees F below normal) across the Alaskan mainland. Highs reached 46 degrees F in Yakutat, AK, on December 22 and 23, tying records for both days. In contrast, readings as low as -60 degrees F were reported in east-central Alaska. Southern Alaska remained in a wet weather pattern, boosting December 1-26 precipitation to 9.68 inches (212 percent of normal) in Juneau and allowing month-to-date snowfall to exceed 20 inches in locations such as McGrath (22.6 inches) and King Salmon (22.3 inches). Meanwhile, showery weather returned to much of Hawaii. Some of the heaviest rain fell at midweek on Oahu, where Honolulu's December 22 total of 1.48 inches boosted its month-to-date sum to 2.51 inches (105 percent of normal). Pockets of dryness persisted, however, in locations such as Kahului, Maui, where only 0.10 inch (2 percent of normal) fell in the 125-day period from August 24 - December 26. In addition, warm weather in Kahului resulted in a daily record-tying high of 87 degrees F on Christmas Day. National Agricultural Summary December 20 - 26, 2004 Highlights: Cold weather prevailed across the eastern two-thirds of the Nation, particularly over the holiday weekend. Snowstorms swept across the Gulf Coast, where temperatures fell below 30 degrees Fahrenheit. In Texas's winter agricultural areas, citrus crops, sugarcane, and vegetables appeared to have escaped freeze damage, despite temperatures falling below the critical 28 degrees Fahrenheit for up to 4 hours on Christmas morning. Elsewhere, parts of the Ohio Valley received over 2 feet of snow earlier in the week, while heavy snow also fell along the Atlantic Coast from the Carolinas to New England. Farther west, conditions were generally dry from the western Corn Belt to the Pacific Coast. Snow cover was below normal in many areas of the northern Great Plains and northern Rocky Mountains, leaving winter wheat vulnerable to extremely cold weather. Harvest was active in California for citrus and other fruits, while cotton harvest neared completion. In Wyoming, corn advanced to 74 percent harvested, still well behind normal. Arizona's cotton, at 95 percent harvested, continued to trail the normal pace. In Florida, temperatures did not get low enough to damage sugarcane and citrus crops, but vegetables showed some declines in quality. 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. 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