We 1 (2-06) Weekly Weather And Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released February 22, 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. 8 February 12 - 18, 2006 For additional information, call (202) 720-2397. Highlights: Cold weather overspread much of the Nation, ending a two-month spell of record-setting warmth. On February 17-18, temperatures plunged to -30 degrees F or lower in parts of Montana, threatening unprotected winter wheat. The northern Plains' protective snow cover was generally patchy and shallow (2 inches or less in most areas). Farther south, however, snow blanketed most of Nebraska's wheat, helping to insulate the crop from temperatures locally below -30 degrees F. Across the southern half of the Plains, cold weather (lows mostly from -5 to 15 degrees F) was a less direct threat to wheat left unusually vulnerable to weather extremes due to a combination of loss of winter hardiness (as far north as Kansas) and drought stress (primarily in Oklahoma and Texas). Snow preceded and accompanied the arrival of cold weather across the Intermountain West, but most Northwestern winter grains had little or no protection (snow cover) from readings as low as 0 degrees F. Farther south, temperatures near the freezing mark (32 degrees F) were reported in California on January 16 as far south as the San Joaquin Valley, while dry, windy weather maintained severe stress on Southwestern pastures and rangeland. Toward week's end, rain and snow showers overspread parts of California and the Great Basin. Farther east, locally heavy snow blanketed Nebraska and nearby areas prior to the arrival of bitterly cold weather. However, the northern Plains received only light snow, while mild, dry weather persisted on the southern Plains through midweek. On February 16, sharply colder air swept onto the southern Plains, followed by some light snow, sleet, and freezing rain. However, the precipitation provided little relief to drought-stricken pastures and winter wheat. Meanwhile, Midwestern areas from Nebraska to Michigan experienced a significant snow and ice storm on February 15-16, while locally severe thunderstorms produced large hail and high winds in the Ohio and middle Mississippi Valleys. Sharply colder air trailed the storm, freezing muddy fields in the eastern Corn Belt but increasing stress on Midwestern livestock. Elsewhere, cold weather prevailed early in the week across the southern Atlantic States, culminating in a freeze as far south as interior southern Florida on February 14. Although temperatures (mostly in the upper 20's to near 32 degrees F) were not low enough to harm citrus, producers used freeze-protection measures for other crops and monitored sugarcane and winter vegetables for signs of damage. Following a brief warming trend, chilly weather returned to the interior South, where late-week snow, sleet, and freezing rain caused travel and electrical disruptions. Early in the week, a major snowstorm continued across the Northeast, where February 11-12 totals included 26.9 inches in New York's Central Park, 21.9 inches in Hartford, CT, and 17.5 inches in Boston, MA. Previous single-storm snowfall records were 26.4 inches (on December 26-27, 1947) in New York and 21.0 inches (on February 11-12, 1983) in Hartford. On February 12, northeasterly wind gusts as high as 38 m.p.h. accompanied New York's record snowfall. Farther south, chilly weather trailed the East Coast storm into Florida, producing daily-record lows in Daytona Beach (29 degrees F) and Melbourne (32 degrees F). Florida Automated Weather Network sensors placed at the (non-standard) 2-foot level across interior South Florida recorded lows of 28 degrees F in Immokalee and 29 degrees F in Belle Glade. In contrast, warm, blustery conditions prevailed in southern California, where daily records for February 12 included 91 degrees F in Santa Ana and 88 degrees F in El Cajon. By February 14, warm reached the Nation's mid-section, where Midwestern daily records climbed to 63 degrees F in Cedar Rapids, IA, and 59 degrees F in Rockford, IL. After midweek, warmth expanded across the South and East in advance of an Arctic cold front. Record highs for February 16 included 87 degrees F in San Angelo, TX, 81 degrees F in McAlester, OK, and 80 degrees F in Ft. Smith, AR. Meanwhile, heavy snow developed in a narrow band stretching from the northern Intermountain West to Michigan. February 14-16 snowfall totaled 16.8 inches in Lander, WY; 14.4 inches in Scottsbluff, NE; and 13.7 inches in Green Bay, WI. A northeasterly wind gust to 49 m.p.h. accompanied the snow in Green Bay, where it was Green Bay's highest storm total since mid-March 1997 (17.5 inches) and sixth-highest storm-total snowfall on record. Elsewhere in Wisconsin, Madison's February 15-16 total of 10.1 inches represented its greatest 2-day snowfall since January 2-3, 1999, when 10.7 inches fell. In neighboring Michigan, daily precipitation records for February 16 included 1.84 inches (1.5 inches of snow and sleet) in Grand Rapids and 1.20 inches (0.7 inch of snow) in Muskegon. High winds preceded, accompanied, and trailed an Arctic cold front nearly nationwide. On February 16, high winds raised dust in parts of Arizona, where a gust to 74 m.p.h. was reported in Show Low. A day later, a wind gust to 60 m.p.h. was clocked in Las Vegas, NM. High winds raked the Great Lakes and Northeastern States on February 17, when gusts reached 64 m.p.h. in Syracuse, NY, and 60 m.p.h. in Fitchburg, MA. High-elevation gusts were clocked to 143 m.p.h. just below the summit of Stratton Mountain, a 3,936-foot peak in Vermont's Green Mountains, and 137 m.p.h. atop Mt. Washington, NH, New England's highest peak (6,288 feet). Farther west, a daily-record chill settled across California on February 16, when daily-record lows included 23 degrees F in Redding and 28 degrees F in Santa Maria. A day later, a low of -54 degrees F was reported in northwestern Montana near the Continental Divide at Gates Park. Elsewhere on February 17, daily-record lows included -33 degrees F in Neihart, MT, and -32 degrees F in Casper, WY. Casper's low also set a monthly record, previously established with a low of -30 degrees F on February 24, 2003. At week's end, record lows for February 18 were set in more than 50 locations, including Wisdom, MT (-43 degrees F), Alliance, NE (-36 degrees F), Stanley, ID (-31 degrees F), Rhinelander, WI (-28 degrees F), and Meacham, OR (-19 degrees F). For Alliance, it was the coldest day since December 23, 1989 (-38 degrees F), and the fifth-lowest temperature since 1890. On the central High Plains, February 18 record lows fell to -13 degrees F in Denver, CO, and -4 degrees F in Goodland, KS. In Milwaukee, WI, the February 18 low of -12 degrees F marked its coldest day since January 5, 1999, when the low was -15 degrees F. Milwaukee also saw the end of its record-setting winter streak with high temperatures of 30 degrees F or higher (57 days from December 22 - February 16; previously, 31 days in December 1931). Farther south, late-week freezing rain glazed parts of the interior South, while February 17-19 snow accumulations reached 2.1 inches in Tulsa, OK, and 5.5 inches in both Mountain Home, AR, and Paducah, KY. Meanwhile in Phoenix, AZ, the spell without a drop of rain reached 123 days (October 19 - February 18), well above the former 1999-2000 standard of 101 consecutive days. However, Phoenix experienced 160 days in a row without measurable rain in 1971-72. While frigid air reached the Lower 48 States, record warmth overspread Alaska. In western Alaska, Kotzebue collected four consecutive daily-record highs (37, 35, 33, and 30 degrees F) from February 14-17. Barrow also posted multiple record highs, notching 35, 34, and 34 degrees F from February 14-16, respectively. Other Alaskan daily records included 46 degrees F (on February 15) in King Salmon and 41 degrees F (on February 18) in McGrath. Unusually heavy precipitation accompanied the warmth across western Alaska, resulting in daily-record totals in locations such as Cold Bay (1.62 inches on February 13) and Kotzebue (0.14 inch on February 14). Farther south, locally heavy showers developed after midweek across the western Hawaiian islands. In a 48-hour period from February 15-17, Hanalei, Kauai, netted 6.38 inches. On February 18-19, a few 2- to 5-inch rainfall totals were reported on Oahu. National Agricultural Summary February 13 - 19, 2006 Highlights: Below-normal temperatures returned to most of the Nation. Only in the Southwest, Ohio River Valley, and middle and northern Atlantic Coast States were temperatures above normal. Across the northern and central Great Plains, temperatures averaged 6 to 12 degrees Fahrenheit below normal. Low temperatures were below zero across most of the area, with temperatures as much as 30 degrees Fahrenheit below zero in some areas. The bitterly cold weather was a serious concern for winter wheat growers in light of the continued lack of protective snow cover in the northern and central Great Plains. Conditions were colder still in the northern Rocky Mountains, with temperatures averaging 12 to 18 degrees Fahrenheit below zero. Even southern Florida could not avoid the cold weather, with freezing temperatures extending nearly to the tip of the Peninsula. Meanwhile, precipitation was scarce across most of the Nation. Moderate precipitation fell around the Great Lakes and a few other isolated areas. Elsewhere, precipitation was light in the Mississippi Delta, central Corn Belt, Ohio Valley, Northeast, northern and central Rocky Mountains, and California. Mostly dry conditions prevailed across the Great Plains, southern and middle Atlantic Coast, Southwest, and Pacific Northwest. In California, harvest of navel oranges, grapefruit, lemons, mandarins, and tangerines continued, while blooming was active in many early almond orchards. Conditions in Arizona were mostly warm and very dry. Harvest of citrus and vegetable crops was active. The winter wheat crop in Texas, already suffering from lack of moisture, was dealt another blow as low temperatures in the teens and single digits struck the Panhandle, where the crop was totally without the protection of snow cover. In Georgia, hay producers reported short supplies due to the increase of supplemental feeding of livestock. Record-low temperatures in Florida slowed development and harvest of vegetables, however, there were no reports of fruit damage in citrus groves. 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. 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