We 1 (2-06) Weekly Weather And Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released February 7, 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. 6 January 29 - February 4, 2006 For additional information, call (202) 720-2397. Highlights: A final week of nationwide warmth boosted readings as much as 20 degrees F above normal on the northern High Plains and maintained significantly above-normal temperatures elsewhere, except in parts of Florida and California. In the West, a final flurry of storms soaked the northern Pacific Coast and produced heavy mountain snow and high winds in the northern Rockies and as far south and east as Utah and western Colorado. In contrast, the Southwest continued to suffer from meager mountain snow packs and dwindling soil moisture reserves. Mild, unfavorably dry weather also persisted on the Plains, further stressing drought-affected pastures and winter grains in Oklahoma and Texas and leaving wheat throughout the Nation's mid-section vulnerable to potential weather extremes. Farther east, abundant rain fell early in the week and again toward week's end along and east of a line from eastern Texas to near Lake Michigan. The rain provided additional drought relief across the South from eastern Texas to the Delta but maintained soggy conditions for some livestock in the eastern Corn Belt. Late in the week, heavy rain spread into the southern Atlantic region, eradicating dryness across Florida's peninsula. Farther north, late-week rain changed to snow from the Ohio Valley and the Appalachians northward into the Great Lakes and Northeastern States, ending a 6-week spell of mild but frequently rainy weather. A final surge of warmth from the Plains to the East Coast resulted in more than two dozen daily-record highs. Records for February 2 included 67 degrees F in Chanute, KS, and 51 degrees F in LaCrosse, WI. A day later, highs climbed to daily-record levels in locations such as Georgetown, DE (68 degrees F), and Atlantic City, NJ (66 degrees F). Meanwhile, a heat wave in southern Texas produced consecutive daily-record highs on February 2 and 3 in Brownsville (92 and 93 degrees F) and Corpus Christi (93 and 95 degrees F). Elsewhere, January average temperature records were established at more than six dozen locations across the Plains, Midwest, Northeast, and Northwest. Monthly temperatures averaged more than 18 degrees F above normal in some northern Plains locations, including Williston, ND (26.6 degrees F, or 18.6 degrees F above normal; previously, 24.5 degrees F in 1931), and Havre, MT (33.7 degrees F, or 19.1 degrees F above normal; previously, 31.2 degrees F in 1986). At week's end, however, many long streaks of above-normal daily average temperatures came to an end. In Missouri, for example, Columbia's 45-day warm spell--which lasted from December 21 - February 3--ended with a cooler-than-normal day on Saturday. Early in the week, heavy rain soaked parts of the Northwestern and Great Lakes States. Daily-record totals for January 29 included 2.23 inches in Olympia, WA, and 0.94 inch in Grand Rapids, MI. The new month opened with locally heavy showers in the western and central Gulf Coast States, where records for February 1 were set in College Station, TX (2.11 inches), and Vicksburg, MS (1.92 inches). A day later, Southeastern rainfall records for February 2 included 4.47 inches in Tallahassee, FL, and 2.07 inches in Savannah, GA. Rainfall intensified across Florida on February 3, when Tampa (8.29 inches) experienced its wettest day since May 8, 1979 (11.45 inches), and fourth-wettest day on record. Farther north, a strong cold front crossed the East at week's end, spawning one tornado apiece in Virginia and South Carolina. The Virginia twister, which struck Pittsylvania County on Saturday, was only the State's eighth February tornado since 1950. Meanwhile in Texas, Lubbock's record-setting dry spell ended at 98 days (October 28 - February 2), but the city's rain (0.03 inch on February 3) provided negligible drought relief. Elsewhere, wintry weather began to return to the northern Plains, where Grand Forks, ND, received more than 70 percent (6.5 inches) of its 9.1-inch January snowfall during the last 4 days of the month. In the Northwest, a final storm tore through on February 3-4, bearing high winds and temporarily cutting power to more than 250,000 customers. February 3-4 peak wind gusts in western Washington were clocked to 68 m.p.h. on Whidbey Island and 78 m.p.h. on Hurricane Ridge, while Lincoln City, OR, also recorded 78 m.p.h. Mostly dry weather prevailed in Hawaii in the wake of the previous week's downpours. Toward week's end, however, locally heavy showers on the Big Island resulted in 24-hour totals of 2.42 inches (on February 2-3) in Honokaa and 2.44 inches (on February 3-4) in Laupahoehoe. Elsewhere on the Big Island, January rainfall topped 20 inches in locations such as Glenwood (22.23 inches, or 120 percent of normal) and Piihonua (21.10 inches, or 126 percent). Farther north, another week of bitterly cold weather held Alaskan temperatures more than 20 degrees F below normal in some locations. On February 3, Barrow's low of -55 degrees F came within 1 degree F of its all-time record established in 1924. King Salmon noted lows below -30 degrees F on 12 consecutive days from January 22 - February 2, and posted eight daily-record lows during that span. However, King Salmon's temperature rebounded from a daily-record low of -43 degrees F on February 2 to a high of 30 degrees F the following day. Elsewhere in Alaska, Fairbanks' streak of days with the temperature below -10 degrees F ended at 20 consecutive days (January 14 - February 2). Precipitation accompanied Alaska's return to mild weather, resulting in February 5 snowfall totals of 11.5 inches in Valdez and 2.5 inches in King Salmon. National Agricultural Summary January 30 - February 5, 2006 Highlights: Temperatures again averaged above normal nationwide but turned cooler toward the end of the week. Extremely dry weather in the Great Plains continued to stress winter grains, particularly in Texas and Oklahoma. In more northerly areas of the region, the winter wheat crop was mostly lacking protective snow cover. In contrast, moderate precipitation fell in the Pacific Northwest and northern Rocky Mountains. Precipitation was also moderate in the Mississippi Delta, Southeast, Ohio River Valley, and along the Atlantic Coast. Along Florida's Gulf Coast, as much as 12 inches of rainfall was recorded in 8 hours in some locations, causing flooding. In California, warm weather promoted vigorous growth in some vegetable fields but continued to trigger early blooming in orchards. Moderate rainfall in eastern areas of Texas contrasted with dry, windy conditions across the Panhandle, where winter wheat condition remained mostly very poor. In Florida, substantial rains near the end of the week limited fieldwork in vegetable fields, while sugarcane harvest remained active. Rainfall in Georgia slowed fieldwork and made fields and pastures muddy. 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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