We 1 (2-05) Weekly Weather And Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released February 1, 2005, 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 92, No. 5 January 23 - 29, 2005 For additional information, call (202) 720-2397. Highlights: An early-week blizzard in parts of the Northeast was followed by cold weather and some additional snow. Northeastern weekly temperatures averaged as much as 20 degrees F below normal, and temperatures below 0 degrees F were reported as far south as the central Appalachians and the northern Mid-Atlantic States. Cold weather also persisted across the eastern Corn Belt, but mild, dry weather returned to the upper Midwest. In the lower Great Lakes region, a deep snow cover hampered rural travel but provided insulation for winter wheat. Farther south, however, soils remained very wet in much of the Ohio Valley, where soft red winter wheat fields experienced some soil heaving due to frequent freeze-thaw cycles. Farther west, mild, dry weather prevailed on the Plains until late in the week, when rain and snow showers overspread southern portions of the region. On the northern Plains, where weekly temperatures ranged from 10 to 24 degrees F above normal, winter wheat remained exposed to potential weather extremes and continued to lose some winter hardiness. Temperatures greater than 60 degrees F were regularly observed as far north as the Montana High Plains. Meanwhile in the South, mild, showery conditions gradually replaced an early-week chill. On January 24, some strawberry and vegetable producers in central Florida's winter agricultural areas used freeze-protection measures, including sprinklers and freeze cloths, to guard against temperatures near or slightly below 32 degrees F. By midweek, however, temperatures topped 80 degrees F in parts of the western Gulf Coast region, followed by locally heavy showers. Elsewhere, dry weather and record warmth prevailed across the interior Northwest including much of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, and western Montana where below-normal winter precipitation and significantly below-average snow packs caused drought intensification and increased the likelihood of summer water-supply shortages. In contrast, two more rounds of wet weather overspread California, the Great Basin, and the Southwest, maintaining generally above-average mountain snow packs. Despite frequently heavy rain and snow across the southern half of the West during the 2004-05 winter wet season, reservoir levels remain low in many areas due to the effects of a multi-year drought. Early in the week, snow and wind lingered across coastal New England, where January 22-23 snowfall totaled 22.5 inches in Boston, MA, and 23.4 inches in Providence, RI. Storm totals in excess of 3 feet were reported at a few locations in eastern Massachusetts, including Salem and Plymouth (both 38 inches). During the morning hours of January 23, official peak wind gusts were clocked to 74 m.p.h. in Nantucket, MA, 60 m.p.h. in Providence, and 55 m.p.h. in Boston. Additional Northeastern snow followed on January 26-27, completing the snowiest January on record in locations such as Boston (43.3 inches), Binghamton, NY (45.9 inches), and Worcester, MA (50.7 inches). It was also the snowiest month on record in Boston, edging the February 2003 standard of 41.6 inches. Meanwhile, monthly precipitation reached 4.67 inches (230 percent of normal) in Lansing, MI, shattering its January 1880 record of 4.35 inches. Farther south, Atlanta, GA, reported a high of 31 degrees F on January 23, the first sub-freezing maximum temperature there since January 1, 2001. Following a brief return to mild weather (Atlanta posted a high of 69 degrees F on January 26), a late-week storm system combined with a surge of cold air east of the Appalachians to generate a major ice storm. Freezing rain accumulations of 0.5 inch or greater were common across northern and central Georgia. Athens, GA, reported a high temperature of 30 degrees F on January 29, accompanied by 0.85 inch of freezing rain. Prior to reaching the Southeast, frozen precipitation was also noted across the southern half of the Plains, where January 28 snowfall in Oklahoma reached 5 inches in Cherokee and 4 inches in Enid. In the Southwest, late-month precipitation propelled January totals to record or near-record levels. In Colorado, Alamosa (1.09 inches, or 436 percent of normal) reported its wettest January on record, while it was the second-wettest January in Albuquerque, NM (1.38 inches, or 281 percent), and Douglas, AZ (2.70 inches, or 360 percent). Farther north, however, warm, mostly dry weather persisted. In Montana, Billings reported high temperatures of 40 degrees F or higher on 12 consecutive days from January 17-28, its fourth-longest such January streak on record. Elsewhere in Montana, Butte, reached or exceeded 50 degrees F on 6 days during the month, tying its January 1971 record. Butte also experienced its warmest January 18-27 period (19.2 degrees F above normal), breaking an 1899 record. In northern Idaho, Mullan Pass collected eight daily-record highs in 10 days from January 18-27. Western warmth contrasted with very cold weather in the Great Lakes and Eastern States. On January 24, daily-record lows included -3 degrees F in Beckley, WV, and 12 degrees F in Augusta, GA, while Tampa, FL (31 degrees F), reported its lowest temperature so far this winter. Three days later, record lows for January 27 were set in Michigan locations such as Gaylord (-26 degrees F) and Alpena (-12 degrees F). Alpena (-16 degrees F) also set a record the following day, along with the New York cities of Watertown (-27 degrees F) and Albany (-16 degrees F). The last time Albany's temperature fell below -16 degrees F was January 6, 1996, when it was -19 degrees F. Mild continued across southern Alaska and returned to the Alaskan mainland, where temperatures averaged as much as 10 degrees F above normal. January ended on a wet note across southern Alaska, where monthly precipitation reached 12.99 inches (134 percent of normal) on Annette Island and 5.90 inches (123 percent) in Juneau. In contrast, January totals in western Alaska included 0.26 inch (28 percent of normal) in Nome and 0.42 inch (41 percent) in King Salmon. Meanwhile, mid- to late-week showers overspread Hawaii's western islands. On Kauai, Hanalei netted 5.51 inches in a 24-hour period on January 25-26. A few days later, on January 29-30, heavy showers soaked parts of Oahu, where 24-hour totals reached 4.43 inches in Kamehame and 3.75 inches at the Manoa Lyon Arboretum. Hawaii also experienced warm weather, with weekly temperatures averaging 1 to 3 degrees F above normal. National Agricultural Summary January 24 - 30, 2005 Highlights: A mass of arctic air held temperatures below normal in the Atlantic Coast States, eastern Corn Belt, and Southeast. Meanwhile, a high pressure system in the West kept temperatures above normal west of the Mississippi River. With the continuation of dry, unseasonably warm weather in the northern Great Plains, northern Rocky Mountains, and Pacific Northwest, most of the winter wheat in these areas had no protective snow cover. The northern half of the Nation was mostly dry, with scattered pockets of light precipitation. However, starting around midweek, a storm system moved across the southern half of the Nation, bringing light to moderate precipitation to the Southwest, southern Great Plains, Southeast, and southern and middle Atlantic Coast. Late in the week, this storm system combined with arctic air in the Southeast to create widespread ice storms. In northern and central Florida, freezing temperatures forced protective measures in some vegetable fields. However, citrus and sugarcane areas further south remained above freezing, and harvest was active. Cold weather in Georgia suppressed diseases and insects in most crops, while frost and ice damage to crops was minimal. Dry conditions in Texas early in the week were favorable for cotton harvest and other fieldwork, but showers caused delays later in the week. In Arizona, small grain planting continued, although with some weather delays. Fieldwork resumed in California with the return of dry weather, including harvest of citrus and vegetable crops where conditions allowed. Some non-citrus fruits were beginning to push buds. 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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