We 1 (2-06) Weekly Weather And Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released February 14, 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. 7 February 5 - 11, 2006 For additional information, call (202) 720-2397. Highlights: For the first time since mid-December, cooler-than-normal weather (weekly temperatures 3 to 9 degrees F below normal) prevailed in the East from the Ohio Valley southward. Most of the remainder of the Lower 48 States also experienced a cooling trend, although temperatures remained above normal across the Nation's northern tier from the northern Plains to New England. Significantly warmer-than-normal weather (as much as 10 degrees F above normal) was confined to the northern Plains, the Desert Southwest, and California. Mostly dry weather prevailed across the western half of the Nation, maintaining severe stress on pastures and winter grains across the Southwest and the southern Plains. Elsewhere on the Plains, conditions remained generally favorable for overwintering wheat, despite the lack of a protective snow cover and slowly diminishing soil moisture reserves. Meanwhile, wet fields had the opportunity to begin drying across the Northwest. Farther east, periods of light precipitation re-established a shallow snow cover in parts of the Corn Belt. In addition, colder weather helped to freeze previously muddy Midwestern fields. Toward week's end, showers and thunderstorms spread across the South in advance of a developing winter storm, providing additional drought relief west of the Delta. Wet snow blanketed parts of the interior South, but much heavier snow arrived across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern States on February 11-12. Approximately 100 daily-record highs were set from February 5-11, mostly in California. However, warmth lingered early in the week across Texas, where records for February 5 included 84 degrees F in San Angelo and 81 degrees F in Midland. A few days later, record warmth briefly expanded across the Desert Southwest and the Rockies, resulting in records for February 8 in locations such as Tucson, AZ (81 degrees F), and Lander, WY (64 degrees F). In southwestern Oregon, Medford tallied consecutive daily-record highs (70 and 69 degrees F on February 9 and 10, respectively). However, warmth was most persistent in California, where three consecutive daily-record highs were observed in Red Bluff (78, 79, and 78 degrees F from February 7-9) and Paso Robles (81, 79, and 76 degrees F from February 9-11). Highs reached 90 degrees F in California locations such as Death Valley (on February 9), Oxnard (on February 9), and Santa Ana (on February 8). For Death Valley, it was the earliest reading of 90 degrees F or higher, breaking the record set on February 12, 1996. High winds accompanied southern California's warmth in locations such as Laguna Peak, where an easterly gust to 74 m.p.h. was clocked on February 8. Farther east, Vero Beach, FL, posted a daily-record low of 37 degrees F on February 6. A few days later, enough cold, dry air edged into the Northwest to produce record lows for February 11 in locations such as Redmond, OR (13 degrees F), and Olympia, WA (22 degrees F). Early in the week, a departing storm system produced locally heavy snow in the lower Great Lakes region and rain in the Northeast. On February 5, Alpena, MI, received a daily-record snowfall (12.8 inches), while Bangor, ME, collected a daily-record rainfall (1.14 inches). A subsequent storm scooted across the South, producing locally heavy rain and in the southern Appalachians some wet snow. Birmingham, AL, measured 3.42 inches of rain, a record for February 6. Toward week's end, precipitation returned to the South. On February 10, daily-record totals included 1.06 inches of rain in Texarkana, AR, and 3.2 inches of snow in Memphis, TN. A day later, Jackson, KY (4.3 inches), also netted a daily-record snowfall. More significant snows were observed across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern States on February 11-12, when storm totals reached 26.9 inches at New York's Central Park; 21.9 inches in Hartford, CT; 17.5 inches in Boston, MA; and 13.1 inches in Baltimore, MD. It was the heaviest single-storm snowfall for both New York City (previously, 26.4 inches on December 26-27, 1947) and Hartford (previously, 21.0 inches on February 11-12, 1983). On February 12, northeasterly wind gusts as high as 38 m.p.h. accompanied the snow in New York City. Cool, mostly dry weather prevailed in Hawaii. In Honolulu, Oahu, where February 5-11 temperatures averaged 2 degrees F below normal, the week's highest reading was 79 degrees F on February 6. At week's end, showers developed in windward areas, resulting in 24-hour (February 11-12) Big Island totals of 1.47 inches in Pahoa and 1.04 inches in Mountain View. Farther north, Alaska's sudden transition to mild weather boosted weekly mainland temperatures 10 to 24 degrees F above normal. Even in southern Alaska, Yakutat closed the week with consecutive daily-record highs (47 and 49 degrees F on February 10 and 11, respectively), following a southeasterly wind gust to 64 m.p.h. on February 6. Wet weather accompanied the arrival of above-normal temperatures in parts of southern Alaska, where February 1-11 precipitation totals were more than twice normal in locations such as Valdez (5.09 inches, including 25.6 inches of snow) and King Salmon (0.81 inch, including 9.2 inches of snow). National Agricultural Summary February 6 - 12, 2006 Highlights: Temperatures averaged below normal across the Southeast, Mississippi Delta, southern Corn Belt, Ohio River Valley, and much of the Rocky Mountains. However, above-normal temperatures persisted across the rest of the Nation, including the Pacific Coast, New England, and most of the Corn Belt and Great Plains. Lack of protective snow cover, especially in the northern and central Great Plains, remained a concern for winter wheat growers. Adding to these concerns was the continued lack of precipitation across the Great Plains. In the southern Great Plains, warm, dry weather continued to stress winter grains. Elsewhere, moderate to heavy snowfall blanketed much of the Appalachians, middle Atlantic Coast, and Northeast, while moderate to heavy rainfall in the Delta and Southeast was welcomed. However, except for isolated pockets of light precipitation, the western half of the Nation was mostly dry. In Florida, cool weather slowed vegetable growth, and pasture conditions declined due to lack of rainfall. Growers in Georgia sampled soil in preparation for planting, while livestock producers applied lime and chicken litter to pastures and hay fields. Land preparation for summer crops was well underway in Texas, though many growers had to irrigate before plowing. Winter wheat and oat conditions remained mostly very poor. Arizona growers harvested a variety of vegetable and citrus crops. In California, harvest was active for several citrus crops and early almond orchards were in bloom. 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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