We 1 (1-06) Weekly Weather And Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released January 10, 2006, 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 93, No. 2 January 1-7, 2006 For additional information, call (202) 720-2397. Highlights: Wet weather persisted early in the week along and near the West Coast, causing additional flooding in parts of California and the western Great Basin. As the week progressed, however, storminess shifted into the Pacific Northwest, where rain and snow showers boosted high-elevation snow packs and maintained adequate to abundant moisture reserves for winter grains. In contrast, extremely dry weather continued from Arizona eastward to the lower Mississippi Valley, maintaining the threat of additional wildfire activity and severely stressing pastures and winter grains. Farther north, only light precipitation fell on the northern and central Plains, where conditions remained generally favorable for winter wheat despite a lack of a protective snow cover, recent reductions in soil moisture, and a gradual loss of the crop's winter hardiness. In fact, weekly temperatures generally averaged 10 to 20 degrees F above normal across the Plains and the Corn Belt. In the latter region, melting snow, thawing ground, and occasional rain and snow showers aggravated muddy conditions for some Midwestern livestock, especially across the eastern Corn Belt. Farther east, heavy snow blanketed southern New England and parts of the northern Mid-Atlantic States on January 2-3, while rain fell across the remainder of the East. On January 2, severe thunderstorms spawned more than a dozen tornadoes in the Southeast, mostly in Georgia and Kentucky. Early-week rainfall ranged from 2 to 5 inches in much of northern Florida and central and southern Georgia, but mild, dry weather prevailed for several days thereafter. At week's end, however, a brief Southeastern cold snap resulted in scattered frost on January 8 as far south as interior southern Florida. During the first week of 2006, at least 250 daily-record highs were set or tied across the Nation. In Texas, there were also a few monthly record highs, including 78 degrees F on January 2 (tied 78 degrees F on January 3, 1989) in Galveston and 87 degrees F on January 3 (exceeded 85 degrees F on January 24, 1950) in Childress. January 3 and 7 were particularly warm on the central and southern Plains, resulting in daily-record highs of 82 and 85 degrees F, respectively, in Gage, OK. On the 3rd, highs topped 80 degrees F as far north as southern Kansas, where Coldwater (81 degrees F) noted a January high above 80 degrees F for only the second time on record (84 degrees F on January 20, 1986). Four days later, Waco, TX, notched its fourth record high of the week (86, 78, 85, and 82 degrees F on January 1, 2, 3, and 7, respectively). Elsewhere in Texas, Laredo's highs topped 90 degrees F on the first 3 days of the year, peaking at 92 degrees F on January 1 and 3. Meanwhile in Lubbock TX, the stretch without measurable precipitation climbed to 72 days (October 28 - January 7), its longest such streak since a 75-day dry spell in October-December 1995. Lubbock's longest dry spell on record spanned 85 days from October 1921 - January 1922. Western Texas and eastern New Mexico also endured a dust storm with visibilities less than one-half mile on New Year's Day, sparked by Texas gusts as high as 67 m.p.h. near Dimmit and 64 m.p.h. in Lubbock. Farther west, Flagstaff, AZ, continued to await its first measurable snowfall of the season, breaking a record established when snow accumulated on January 7, 1930. Flagstaff's normal seasonal snowfall is 109.4 inches. During the first 7 days of the year, wildfires charred nearly a half million acres of vegetation across the South-Central and Southwestern United States. Heavy rain fell across much of the East early in the week, although snow blanketed parts of the Northeast. In Florida, Sarasota-Bradenton completed a very dry December (0.58 inch, or 24 percent of normal), but netted 5.59 inches of rain on New Year's Day. Elsewhere in the East, daily-record totals for January 2 included 5.84 inches in Alma, GA, and 1.29 inches in Martinsburg, WV. Farther north, Hartford, CT, received a daily-record snowfall (12.5 inches) for January 3, while elsewhere in Connecticut, storm-total snowfall reached 17.5 inches in West Granby. Heavy precipitation also continued early in the week along the West Coast and briefly overspread southern California. From January 1-3, 48-hour rainfall totals in Ventura County, CA, topped 10 inches at a few high-elevation locations, including Matilija Canyon and Sisar Peak. Farther inland, Bishop, CA (2.33 inches on January 2, including more than 1 foot of snow), noted its fourth-wettest day on record and wettest day since December 22, 1982, when 2.67 inches fell. After midweek, heavy rain shifted northward into the Pacific Northwest, where daily-record totals for January 5 reached 2.91 inches in Astoria, OR, and 1.33 inches in Seattle, WA. Through week's end, measurable rain fell in Seattle on 20 consecutive days (December 19 - January 7), totaling 8.88 inches. Elsewhere, cloudy, mild weather prevailed in the Midwest, while chilly conditions briefly invaded the Southeast. In Wisconsin, Milwaukee achieved its longest spell without sunshine, experiencing 15 consecutive cloudy days (December 24 - January 7; previously, 14 days from December 27, 1991, to January 9, 1992). Meanwhile in Rochester, MN, temperatures averaged 30.0 degrees F (16.6 degrees F above normal) during the 16 days ending January 5, completing its warmest such period on record (previously, 29.5 degrees F from December 21, 1931 - January 5, 1932). On January 7 in Florida, Miami's high of 61 degrees F was its lowest on record for the date, and was significantly lower than the daily-record highs in locations such as Scottsbluff, NE (67 degrees F), and Denver, CO (69 degrees F). The following day in Florida, Vero Beach (30 degrees F) collected a daily-record low, while a Florida Automated Weather Network site in Belle Glade, near Lake Okeechobee, recorded a low of 29 degrees F January opened on a dry note in much of Alaska, although weekly temperatures ranged from several degrees below normal across most of the interior to as much as 6 degrees F above normal in southeastern areas. Several Alaskan locations, including Fairbanks (0.14 inch below normal) and McGrath (0.28 inch below normal) continued to await their first January precipitation. Farther south, mostly dry weather also prevailed in Hawaii, accompanied by near- to above-normal temperatures. In fact, Lihue, Kauai, posted a monthly record-tying high of 86 degrees F on January 3. In the wake of its driest December on record, Lihue's January 1-7 rainfall totaled just 0.16 inch (14 percent of normal). On the Big Island, Honokaa netted 1.27 inches in a 24-hour period on January 4-5, but most other Hawaiian locations received little rain. Elsewhere on the Big Island, Hilo's January 1-7 rainfall totaled 0.24 inch (11 percent of normal). National Agricultural Summary January 2 - 8, 2006 Highlights: Like the previous week, average temperatures were above normal across the Nation. Throughout the Great Plains and Corn Belt, temperatures averaged over 12 degrees F above normal, with some areas exceeding the normal by as much as 18 degrees F. Dry conditions further worsened winter wheat condition in the southern Great Plains. In the northern Plains, warm weather continued to deplete protective snow cover. Moderate to heavy precipitation in the Pacific Northwest missed most of the crop-producing areas further inland, but added to high-elevation snowpack, further improving the outlook for irrigation water supplies in the spring. Light precipitation fell across most of the Corn Belt, while the Mississippi Delta remained mostly dry. Precipitation was moderate along the middle and southern Atlantic Coast. In Florida, growers scrambled to protect vegetables and strawberries as near-freezing temperatures arrived at the end of the week, and some newly emerged sugarcane plants were singed by the frost. Recent rains in Georgia have improved small grain conditions. Alfalfa, citrus, and vegetable harvests were active in Arizona under warm, dry conditions. Winter wheat planting continued in California, but fieldwork was halted in many orchards and vineyards as a result of flooding. 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.nass.usda.gov. 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