We 1 (1-06) Weekly Weather And Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released January 31, 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. 5 January 22 - 28, 2006 For additional information, call (202) 720-2397. Highlights: Cooler air overspread the West, but above-normal temperatures persisted for a sixth consecutive week in most areas from the Plains to the East Coast. Weekly temperatures generally ranged from 8 to 20 degrees F above normal across the Plains, Midwest, and New England, while streaks of above-normal daily average temperatures topped 40 consecutive days in some locations. West of the Rockies, heavy precipitation was confined to coastal areas of the Pacific Northwest. A few rain and snow showers briefly dampened the Four Corners region, but failed to significantly improve meager mountain snow packs or aid drought-stressed pastures and rangeland. Meanwhile across the Nation's mid-section, soil moisture shortages became more apparent as far north as South Dakota and Nebraska, although severe stress on the Plains' pastures and winter wheat remained mostly confined to western and northern portions of Oklahoma and Texas. In contrast, significant rain (1 inch or more) fell on the southeastern Plains, where relatively minor wheat-producing areas of eastern Oklahoma and northeastern Texas experienced drought relief. Heavy rain also eased drought from eastern Texas to the Delta, where some locations netted more than 4 inches of rain. Rain totaling 1 inch or more also dampened previously dry areas of the Midwest, including southeastern Iowa and northern Illinois. However, muddy fields and feedlots remained a concern for some Midwestern livestock due to rain and melting snow. Elsewhere, snowy, windy conditions briefly affected the Northeast, while dry weather persisted across Florida's peninsula. As a result, irrigation demands for Florida's citrus and winter crops gradually increased. Warm weather produced another six dozen daily-record highs. Record warmth prevailed in the Southeast early in the week before gradually returning to the West, Plains, and Midwest. On January 22, highs soared to daily-record levels in Florida locations such as Tampa (83 degrees F) and Sarasota-Bradenton (85 degrees F). A day later in California, Santa Rosa and Shelter Cove (both 76 degrees F) collected daily-record highs. Along the Oregon coast, record highs for January 24 climbed to 70 degrees F in Tillamook, Newport, and North Bend. Tillamook also achieved a monthly record, previously set with a high of 69 degrees F on January 30, 1976. By midweek, highs topped 60 degrees F as far north as Montana, where records for January 25 included 62 degrees F in both Great Falls and Cut Bank. Rapid City, SD, which posted a daily-record high of 66 degrees F on January 25, reported its second longest streak of above-normal daily average temperatures. Rapid City's streak began on December 20 and reached consecutive 40 days by week's end, behind only a 48-day warm spell in November-December 1939. Meanwhile, temperatures reached or exceeded 60 degrees F on 9 January days in North Platte, NE, where the previous record of 6 days was achieved in 1906, 1935, and 2003. Early-week downpours across the South resulted in daily-record totals for January 22 in locations such as Greenville, MS (3.44 inches), Texarkana, AR (2.97 inches), Shreveport, LA (2.82 inches), and Muscle Shoals, AL (2.46 inches). Farther north, enough snow developed at midweek to produce a daily-record snowfall in Burlington, VT (3.8 inches on January 25). Toward week's end, some of the heaviest rain in months overspread drought-affected areas from eastern Texas to the central Corn Belt. On January 28-29 in Illinois, 24-hour rainfall totals reached 1.58 inches in Rockford and 1.76 inches in Moline. It was Rockford's highest 24-hour total since August 18, 2005, when 2.23 inches fell. More impressively, it was Moline's highest 24-hour sum since May 30-31, 2004, when 2.57 inches fell. Meanwhile in Texas, January 2 totals of 1.63 inches in Waco and 1.59 inches in Dallas-Ft. Worth (DFW) exceeded the stations' respective rainfall amounts during the preceding 88 days. November 1 - January 27 totals were 1.33 inches in Waco and 1.01 inches in DFW. Furthermore, it was Waco's wettest day since November 17, 2004, when rainfall totaled 2.75 inches, and DFW's wettest day since May 28, 2005, when 1.60 inches fell. Farther west, high winds accompanied a late-week return to stormy weather in the Pacific Northwest, where January 28 gusts along the Oregon coast were clocked to 93 m.p.h. at Sea Lion Caves and 75 m.p.h. in Florence. Farther inland, late-week Oregon snow depths climbed to 157 inches at Mt. Hood Meadows and 180 inches at Timberline Lodge. Elsewhere, Key West, FL, experienced 68 consecutive days (November 22 - January 28) with rainfall less than 0.10 inch, breaking its record of 63 days set from November 1981 - January 1982. Heavy rain pelted Hawaii, particularly across east- and southeast-facing slopes of the Big Island. Hilo's weekly rainfall of 5.98 inches boosted its January 1-28 total to 11.17 inches (127 percent of normal). Elsewhere on the Big Island, 48-hour totals from January 25-27 exceeded 10 inches in locations such as Piihonua (10.55 inches) and Hakalau (10.34 inches). Despite the rain, month-to-date totals remained below normal in several locations, including Kahului, Maui (0.74 inch, or 22 percent of normal), and Lihue, Kauai (1.87 inches, or 45 percent). Farther north, extremely cold weather persisted across Alaska, where weekly temperatures averaged as much as 30 degrees F below normal. In southwestern Alaska, King Salmon posted five consecutive daily-record lows (-33, -37, -36, -32, and -38 degrees F) from January 22-26. In Fairbanks, AK, the temperature fell to -51 degrees F on January 27 and remained below -10 degrees F for a 15th consecutive day on January 28. Some significant snow fell in southeastern Alaska, but mostly dry weather prevailed across the remainder of the State, where January 1-28 precipitation totals included 0.13 inch (14 percent of normal) in McGrath and 0.18 inch (21 percent) in Nome. In contrast, Juneau, AK, collected a daily-record snowfall of 12.4 inches on January 4. National Agricultural Summary January 23 - 29, 2006 Highlights: Above-normal temperatures prevailed again across most of the Nation. Across the northern Great Plains, average temperatures exceeded the normal by 15 degrees Fahrenheit or more, causing further depletion of protective snow cover. Dry weather and windy conditions in the Great Plains continued to stress the winter wheat crop, especially in the southern-most areas of the region. Meanwhile, light to moderate precipitation across much of the Corn Belt benefited crops and pastures, while moderate to heavy rainfall in the Mississippi Delta and adjacent areas of the Southeast were favorable for crop conditions but limited fieldwork. Only light precipitation fell in the interior Pacific Northwest, where snow cover has begun to melt under warm conditions. Recent cool weather in California has helped with the accumulation of chill hours in fruit orchards, but blooming has already been reported in many areas. In Arizona, harvest of alfalfa, citrus, and vegetable crops was active under cool, mostly dry conditions. In Texas, moderate rainfall in some areas helped small grains and pastures recover, but the Panhandle remained warm, dry, and windy. Rainfall in Georgia continued to improve small grain conditions but created muddy pastures. Vegetable planting and harvesting remained active in Florida under warm, dry conditions. 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. E-MAIL SUBSCRIPTION All NASS reports are available by subscription free of charge direct to your e-mail address. Starting with the NASS Home Page at www.nass.usda.gov, under the right navigation, Receive reports by Email, click on National or State. 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