We 1 (3-05) Weekly Weather And Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released March 8, 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. 10 February 27 - March 5, 2005 For additional information, call (202) 720-2397. Highlights: Widespread showers boosted soil moisture for winter grains and preparation of spring planting in the Southeast, including previously parched southern Florida. In addition, Southeastern temperatures fell below the freezing mark (32 degrees F) on March 2 and 4 as far south as northernmost Florida. Producers monitored the effects of the freezes on blooming fruit trees, winter grains, and early-planted summer crops, especially from Georgia southward. Farther north, the latest in a series of winter storms affected the Great Lakes and Northeastern States early in the week, resulting in heavy snow. The same storm produced widespread precipitation (rain and snow) throughout the eastern Corn Belt, maintaining unfavorably wet conditions in many feedlots and winter wheat fields. Meanwhile, mostly dry weather prevailed across the upper Midwest. Across the nation's mid-section, soil moisture reserves continued to diminish on the drought-affected northern High Plains but ranged from adequate to abundant on the central and southern Plains. Warm weather and favorable moisture supplies promoted some winter wheat growth across the southern half of the Plains, where temperatures peaked at 70 degrees F or higher. Farther west, precipitation was generally light and mostly confined to the West Coast States. Late in the week, locally heavy showers returned to soggy southern California. However, warm, unfavorably dry conditions persisted in the Northwest, reducing soil moisture for winter grains and maintaining concerns about meager mountain snowpacks and dismal spring and summer runoff prospects. Near- to above-normal temperatures prevailed in most areas from the Plains westward. Weekly temperatures averaged as much as 11 degrees F above normal on the northern Plains and ranged from 3 to 7 degrees F above normal in the Northwest. Meanwhile, cold weather (as much as 10 degrees F below normal) persisted in the Great Lakes and Northeastern States and overspread the Southeast. Early in the week, a powerful East Coast storm produced widespread precipitation and high winds. The storm eased or eliminated dryness across Florida's peninsula, where daily-record rainfall totals for February 27 included 5.17 inches in Sarasota-Bradenton and 3.40 inches in Melbourne. Sarasota-Bradenton netted rainfall totaling just 0.08 inch during the remainder of February. Farther north, Brunswick, GA (3.83 inches on February 27), also collected a daily-record amount. By Monday, the East Coast storm's interaction with a disturbance crossing the Midwest sparked heavy snow across the Great Lakes and Northeastern States. Snowfall records for February 28 included 6.0 inches in Houghton Lake, MI, and 5.9 inches in Newark, NJ. The following day, records for March 1 were set in locations such as Marquette, MI (10.8 inches), and Albany, NY (10.7 inches). By the time snow ended at midweek, storm totals topped 1 foot in many places, with locals totals in excess of 2 feet observed in favored locations downwind of the Great Lakes. From February 27 - March 2, snowfall totaled 25.0 inches in Marquette. Farther south, peak gusts on March 1 across eastern North Carolina included 68 m.p.h. in coastal Onslow County and 60 m.p.h. on Cedar Island in Carteret County. Cold weather prevailed in the storm's wake, resulting in a low temperature of -33 degrees F in Embarrass, MN, on March 2. The cold weather stretched into the Southeast, where lows on March 2 included 27 degrees F in Tallahassee, FL, and 28 degrees F in Macon, GA. The Midwestern and Eastern chill persisted through March 4, when daily-record lows included -7 degrees F in Houghton Lake, MI, and 27 degrees F in North Myrtle Beach, SC. In contrast, daily-record highs in Washington included 63 degrees F (on February 27) in Moses Lake and 59 degrees F (on March 2) in Omak. At week's end, warm weather continued in most areas from the Plains westward and briefly expanded into the Midwest. By Sunday, March 6, Madison, WI (59 degrees F), recorded its highest reading since November 17, when the temperature reached 63 degrees F. Meanwhile in Iowa, daily-record highs for March 6 included 74 degrees F in Des Moines and 72 degrees F in Waterloo. Elsewhere, locally heavy precipitation accompanied a pair of disturbances crossing the Southern United States. On March 1, Delta, UT (0.43 inch), tallied a daily-record total. The next day in Texas, records included 1.22 inches in Galveston and 1.03 inches in Austin (Bergstrom). By March 3-4, the latest in a series of storms to affect southern California deposited 2.20 inches of rain at Refugio Pass (Santa Barbara County), CA. Wet weather affected southern Alaska, while only light precipitation fell across much of the mainland. March 1-5 precipitation reached 2.83 inches (210 percent of normal) on Annette Island, AK, including a 1.43-inch total on March 3. Elsewhere in Alaska on March 3, Anchorage collected 2.4 inches of snow. By week's end, however, mild weather overspread southern Alaska, where Juneau (46 degrees F on March 5) collected a daily-record high. Farther south, mild, tranquil weather prevailed in Hawaii. During the first 5 days of March, rainfall totaled just 0.02 inch (2.01 inches below normal) in Hilo, on the Big Island. National Agricultural Summary February 28 - March 6, 2005 Highlights: Temperatures were below normal across the eastern half of the Nation, while above-normal temperatures prevailed in the west. Soggy conditions remained a problem in the Ohio Valley as snow and rain continued in the region. In the central and western Corn Belt, however, mostly dry conditions favored fieldwork. Moderate precipitation across the southern Atlantic Coast States slowed field preparation, while heavy snow fell further north along the east Coast. Only light precipitation fell in the Delta, but fieldwork was hampered by lingering soggy conditions from the previous week's rainfall. Conditions remained dry across the northern Great Plains, where winter wheat growers remain concerned about soil moisture and lack of protective snow cover. The Southwest had drier weather than in previous weeks, allowing fields and pastures to dry out. Dry conditions prevailed in the interior areas of the Pacific Northwest, where snow accumulation remained well below normal. The Florida sugarcane harvest remained active, with some delays due to rainfall. Excessive rainfall in Georgia caused widespread fieldwork delays and caused pasture conditions to decline. In Texas, harvest of last year's cotton crop remained incomplete, while producers in the extreme southern part of the State had already begun planting this year's crop. In Arizona, emergence of durum wheat and barley was virtually complete, and heading had begun in some fields. Harvest of citrus crops continued in California, with rainfall continuing to cause delays. 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. 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