We 1 (12-05) Weekly Weather And Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released December 13, 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. 50 December 4 - 10, 2005 For additional information, call (202) 720-2397. Highlights: An early-season cold snap held weekly temperatures as much as 24 degrees F below normal in the Midwest and resulted in below-normal readings nearly nationwide. Above-normal temperatures were confined to Florida, where a return to mild weather followed last week's cool spell. Farther west, snow subsided across the Rockies and the Northwest early in the week, followed by a sharp cold snap. Temperatures below -40 degrees F were noted in some high-elevation Western valleys. Meanwhile in California, mostly dry weather favored late-season fieldwork, although light freezes were noted at midweek as far south as the San Joaquin Valley. However, California's freezes were not of sufficient intensity or duration to significantly threaten citrus or other winter agricultural interests. Farther east, temperatures were cold enough--especially on December 8--to threaten already drought-stressed winter wheat on the southern Plains. Readings near -5 degrees F were noted as far south as Texas' northern panhandle. In contrast, a substantial snow cover across the northern half of the Plains insulated winter wheat from temperatures locally below -25 degrees F. Late in the week, however, milder weather on the Plains began to erode wheat's protective snow cover. Very cold weather persisted through week's end in the Midwest, maintaining stress on livestock. In addition, a December 8-9 snow storm swept across the Corn Belt, causing widespread travel disruptions. Elsewhere, accumulating snow fell at midweek as far south as central and northeastern Texas. Frozen precipitation (snow, sleet, and freezing rain) also fell across the interior South, including parts of Arkansas and Kentucky, and the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern States. Farther south, showers and thunderstorms were heaviest across areas east of the Delta. Early in the week, locally heavy showers and thunderstorms dotted the Southeast, while heavy snow developed in parts of the Northwest. Daily-record precipitation totals for December 5 included 1.61 inches in Greensboro, NC, and 1.30 inches in Richmond, VA. Some of the precipitation in Richmond (4.2 inches) and elsewhere in the Mid-Atlantic States fell in the form of snow. Other daily snowfall records (for December 6) included 4.6 inches in Atlantic City, NJ, and 3.8 inches in Wilmington, DE. Farther south, several tornadoes were spotted on December 5 in southern Georgia and northern Florida. Meanwhile in Montana, daily-record snowfall totals for December 5 reached 7.1 inches in Kalispell and 4.8 inches in Havre. Billings, MT, received measurable snow on 11 consecutive days (November 26 - December 6), totaling 11.1 inches, breaking its record of 9 days in a row set in December 1989 and 1996. Farther south, Alta, UT, received 28.0 inches of snow in a 24-hour period on December 5-6. Between storms, very cold weather settled across the Plains and the Midwest. On December 5, daily-record lows dipped to -25 degrees F in Aberdeen, SD, and -16 degrees F in Waterloo, IA. Chilly weather also affected California, where Ojai (28 and 29 degrees F on December 5 and 6, respectively) posted consecutive daily-record lows. On December 7, West Yellowstone, MT, registered a daily-record low of -45 degrees F, followed the next day by a record of -39 degrees F in Crested Butte, CO. Elsewhere on December 8, Midland, TX (6 degrees F), observed its lowest reading since December 23, 1989, when the minimum temperature was -1 degree F. December 8 lows of 10 degrees F in Abilene, TX, and -1 degree F in Wichita, KS, were the stations' lowest readings since February 4, 1996 (4 and -7 degrees F, respectively). Similarly, Albuquerque, NM (9 degrees F on December 8), reached the single digits for the first time since January 15, 1997, and for the first time in December since December 27, 1990. Meanwhile, Amarillo, TX, collected a daily-record low of -3 degrees F on December 8, followed the next day by record lows of -6 degrees F in Bartlesville, OK, and -15 degrees F in St. Joseph, MO. For some locations, including the Iowa cities of Waterloo (3.1 degrees F) and Des Moines (9.9 degrees F), December 1-7 average temperatures were the lowest on record. Des Moines' previous record of 11.1 degrees F was established in 1886. A disturbance embedded in the bitterly cold air reached the central Plains on December 7, when daily-record snowfall totals included 7.3 inches in Kansas City, MO, and 6.2 inches in Topeka, KS. Farther south, frozen precipitation fell in locations such as Mineral Wells, TX, where high temperatures had topped 90 degrees F (91 degrees F on December 3) just 4 days earlier. However, significant precipitation largely bypassed the drought-affected southern Plains, where Oklahoma City, OK, netted 0.01 inch on December 7. Nevertheless, Oklahoma City's longest spell without measurable precipitation since 2000 (54 days from July 30 - September 21) ended at 36 days (November 1 - December 6). Snow engulfed the Midwest on December 8, when daily-record totals included 7.7 inches in Indianapolis, IN, and 6.7 inches in Chicago, IL. Indianapolis' total represented its fourth-snowiest December day in more than 120 years. To the south, heavy showers in the southern Atlantic States resulted in daily-record totals for December 8 in locations such as Brunswick, GA (1.84 inches), and Vero Beach, FL (1.81 inches). Meanwhile in Massachusetts, December 9 snowfall totals of 8.6 inches in Boston and 12.8 inches in Worcester marked the seventh- and eighth-highest December daily totals on record, respectively. Elsewhere in the Northeast, snowfall records for December 9 included 15.1 inches in Concord, NH, and 10.5 inches in Hartford, CT. Fairly tranquil weather prevailed in Hawaii, although some heavy showers fell primarily across windward sections of the Big Island. From December 6-8, Honokaa netted 5.30 inches of rain in a 48-hour period. Elsewhere on the Big Island, 24-hour totals on December 7-8 included 5.03 inches at Waiakea Uka and 3.61 inches at Piihonua. In contrast, December 1-10 rainfall totaled just 0.04 inch (3 percent of normal) in Lihue, Kauai, and 0.08 inch (9 percent) in Kahului, Maui. Farther north, mild weather returned to the Alaskan mainland, boosting weekly temperatures as much as 15 degrees F above normal. In Fairbanks, temperatures rebounded from -36 degrees F on December 4 to 34 degrees F just 5 days later. In fact, daily-record highs were established in several Alaskan locations, including Bethel (38 degrees F on December 7), King Salmon (45 degrees F on December 7), and Anchorage (48 degrees F on December 9). Widespread precipitation accompanied the mild weather; for example, Bethel noted measurable precipitation on each day of the week, totaling 1.11 inches (4.6 inches of snow). Heavy precipitation also returned to southern Alaska, where Valdez received 4.32 inches (21.9 inches of snow) from December 5-8. National Agricultural Summary December 5 - 11, 2005 Highlights: Temperatures averaged well below normal nearly nationwide. Across much of the Corn Belt and Great Plains, average temperatures were over 15 degrees Fahrenheit below normal. The bitterly cold weather was particularly worrisome in the southern Great Plains, where the winter wheat crop lacked the protection of snow cover and had not yet entered dormancy. In contrast, much of the Corn Belt received snowfall, providing protection from the low temperatures. Across the Southeast, moderate precipitation improved soil moisture, but the cold weather limited the growth of pastures. The Pacific Northwest and Southwest were mostly dry, causing soil moisture shortages. Conditions were dry across the Great Plains, with only small areas of light precipitation. In California's San Joaquin Valley, the table grape harvest was nearly complete, while the winter wheat crop was slow to emerge due to inadequate moisture and below-normal temperatures. In Arizona, the cotton harvest was 87 percent complete. Small grain planting was well underway, and harvest of vegetables, citrus crops, and alfalfa was active. Small grains in Texas suffered from freezing temperatures and high winds as well as a continued lack of precipitation. Harvest of vegetables and sugarcane continued in more southerly areas of the State. Rainfall in North Carolina replenished soil moisture in areas where it was badly needed but hampered cotton and soybean harvest and small grain planting. Georgia's cotton and soybean harvests were ongoing but nearly complete, while small grain planting was hindered by rainfall. Precipitation in Florida replenished soil moisture in several areas but slowed strawberry harvest. 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. 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