We 1 (1-07) Weekly Weather And Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released January 17, 2007, 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 94, No. 3 January 7 - 13, 2007 For additional information, call (202) 720-2397. Highlights: For the fourth time in less than 2 months, a significant snow and ice storm affected the Nation's mid-section. A major difference between the most recent system and the late-December storms was the extremely cold air in its wake. Five consecutive mornings of hard-freeze conditions (temperatures at or below 28 degrees F) affected citrus areas of California's San Joaquin Valley from January 12-16, necessitating protective measures and threatening the unharvested portion of the crop. By most measures, it was one the region's three worst freezes in the last 20 years, along with the cold outbreaks of December 1990 and 1998. Freezes were also threatened citrus, strawberries, and vegetable crops in several other winter agricultural valleys of southern California and southwestern Arizona, where hard-freeze conditions were noted from January 13-15. Farther east, widespread snow blanketed the Plains' winter wheat areas during the cold snap, although a portion of the crop in Montana and western South Dakota had only a patchy, shallow snow cover when late-week temperatures fell as low as -20 degrees F. Elsewhere, early-week showers subsided in the Northwest, followed by several days of occasional, generally light snow across the Intermountain West and parts of the Southwest. Later, light snow returned to the storm-battered central High Plains. However, heavier accumulations of snow and ice were confined to areas from parts of Texas northeastward into the Great Lakes region. Stormy weather in the Midwest included some snow across the western Corn Belt, freezing rain in the middle Mississippi Valley, and heavy rain in the Ohio Valley. Very wet conditions persisted in fields and feedlots across the eastern Corn Belt, although colder weather toward week's end resulted in some ice formation in soils. Across the remainder of the Nation, warm, mostly dry weather in Florida contrasted with mild, showery conditions elsewhere across the South and East. Flooding rains, with totals from 4 to as much as 10 inches, were noted from northeastern Texas into parts of the lower Ohio Valley. Early in the week, record warmth prevailed in the West Coast States in advance of a storm system, while mild weather continued in the East. In southern California, daily-record highs for January 8 included 87 degrees F at both Long Beach and Ontario. Meanwhile, Eastern daily-record highs for January 8 reached 86 degrees F in Vero Beach, FL, and 66 degrees F in Georgetown, DE. Later on the 8th, rain and somewhat cooler weather reached the East Coast States, where daily-record rainfall totals included 1.95 inches in Islip, NY, and 1.26 inches in Newark, NJ. By mid-week, markedly colder weather reached the Northwest and quickly spread southward. Some snow preceded and accompanied the cold air's arrival, resulting in daily-record totals in Montana locations such as Billings (3.2 inches on January 10) and Bozeman (5.1 inches on January 11). Billings later posted a low of -18 degrees F (on January 12), representing its lowest minimum temperature since January 27, 1997, when it was -19 degrees F. Farther east, snow squalls developed in the Great Lakes and Northeastern States, where Syracuse, NY, received a record sum (9.1 inches) for January 10. New York's Central Park experienced its first trace of snow of the 2006-07 season on January 10, breaking a record previously established on January 4, 1878. Mild weather came to a sudden end across the Midwest. In Wisconsin, Madison's record-setting streak of 31 consecutive winter days (December 9 - January 8) with highs of 32 degrees F or greater ended on Tuesday (previously, 29 days from December 1-29, 1881 and 1889. In Minnesota, Rochester's first sub-zero reading of the winter (-3 degrees F on January 15) came on a record-late date, edging the mark set on January 12, 1914. Farther west, record-shattering cold arrived on January 12-13. Stanley, ID, closed the week with consecutive daily-record lows (-35 and -34 degrees F), while West Yellowstone, MT (-47 degrees F on January 13) collected a daily-record low on the latter date. Meanwhile, January 12-14 Western snows totaled 18.0 inches in Tooele, UT, and 9.1 inches in Flagstaff, AZ. In California's San Joaquin Valley, lows in Bakersfield from January 12-16 were 24, 24, 23, 24, and 25 degrees F. By way of comparison, Bakersfield's lows from December 21-25, 1998, were 25, 23, 19, 21, and 22 degrees F. The December 1998 reading of 19 degrees F tied the all-time-record low in Bakersfield. Farther south, lows in Imperial, CA, dipped to 26, 21, and 23 degrees F from January 13-15. January 14 was the coldest day in Imperial since December 23, 1990, when it was also 21 degrees F. Meanwhile, Yuma, AZ (25 degrees F on January 14), eclipsed a daily record that had survived since 1898. Elsewhere in Arizona, lows of 29 degrees F in Phoenix on January 14 and 15 marked its first occurrence of two consecutive readings below 30 degrees F since December 1978. It was also the first time Phoenix dipped below 32 degrees F since December 23, 1990. Farther east, excessive late-week rains developed from Texas northeastward. Daily records for January 13 included 4.52 inches in Tyler, TX, and 4.21 inches in Little Rock, AR. January 12-15 storm totals climbed above 8 inches in parts of several Arkansas counties, including Garland, Montgomery, and Pike. Meanwhile, the first measurable snow of the season (6.5 inches on January 14) occurred in Norfolk, NE. By Tuesday, January 16, depths of snow and sleet included 2 inches in Oklahoma City, OK, and 4 inches in Des Moines, IA. In Hawaii, locally heavy showers early in the week yielded to more tranquil conditions. Some of the heaviest rain fell on January 8-9, when 24-hour Big Island totals reached 5.15 inches at Kapapala Ranch and 3.67 inches in Glenwood. Hilo, also on the Big Island, received 5.58 inches from January 7-9 to boost its month-to-date (January 1-13) rainfall to 10.66 inches (262 percent of normal). Farther north, bitterly cold conditions eased across Alaska, accompanied by snowy weather in some areas. Nevertheless, King Salmon opened the week with consecutive daily-record lows (-40 and -37 degrees F) on January 7-8. An unofficial reading of -56 degrees F was reported on January 9 at Chandalar Lake. Meanwhile, a historic snow storm unfolded in parts of western Alaska, where Nome (10.5 inches on January 9) had its snowiest January day on record (previously, 10.1 inches on January 22, 1999). The following day, January 10, was Nome's third-snowiest January day, with a 9.7-inch total. Nearby Kotzebue, AK, received 21.4 inches of snow on January 10-11. National Agricultural Summary January 8 - 14, 2007 Highlights: Late in the week, cold temperatures overspread the western half of the Nation. In California and the Southwest, lows in the teens and twenties Fahrenheit threatened citrus and vegetable crops. Showers continued in the Pacific Northwest but were mostly limited to coastal areas, while the crop-producing areas further inland were mostly dry. Snow, sleet, and freezing rain in the southern Great Plains and Midwest disrupted travel and caused power outages. In the northern Great Plains, spotty snow cover left much of the winter wheat unprotected against low temperatures from 0 to -30 degrees Fahrenheit. Rain and snow in the Ohio River Valley maintained soggy conditions in fields and pastures. In California, citrus growers rushed to harvest as much as they could before freezing temperatures hit late in the week and used wind machines, bonfires, irrigation, and helicopters to raise temperatures in the groves. The extent of freeze damage to the crop has not yet been fully assessed. Similarly cold weather also threatened Arizona's citrus and vegetable crops, but again, the extent of the freeze damage has not been fully assessed. In Florida, mild, dry weather allowed harvest of vegetables and sugarcane to proceed on schedule. ACCESS TO REPORTS!! 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