We 1 (1-07) Weekly Weather And Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released January 30, 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 Theresa Holland at (202) 720-7621, office hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. National Weather Summary Volume 94, No. 5 January 21 - 27, 2007 For additional information, call (202) 720-2397. Highlights: Chilly weather lingered from California to the southern Plains, but unusually mild conditions returned to the northern Plains and the upper Midwest. Weekly temperatures ranged from more than 10 degrees F below normal in portions of the Four Corners region to as much as 15 degrees F above normal on the northern High Plains. Meanwhile, the Northeast's coldest weather of the season drove late-week temperatures to -10 degrees F or lower across northern sections of New York and New England. Significant precipitation (an inch or more) was confined to the Gulf Coast and Southeastern States, maintaining soggy conditions from coastal Texas into southern Louisiana, but providing drought relief in Florida and southeastern Georgia. Weekly rainfall topped 3 inches in parts of southern Louisiana. Farther north, mostly dry weather in the Ohio Valley allowed lowland flooding to gradually subside, although many lower Midwestern fields remained unfavorably wet. Midwestern precipitation was heaviest downwind of the Great Lakes, where squalls produced locally heavy snowfall. Meanwhile on the Plains, mild, dry windy weather eroded snow across the northern Plains, leaving wheat exposed to potential weather extremes. Elsewhere across the Nation's mid-section, snow gradually melted across the southern Plains, but a shallow to moderately deep snow cover still existed by week's end from Nebraska (excluding the northwest) southward into Texas' northern panhandle. Dry weather prevailed in the West, aside from some snow in southern portions of Arizona and New Mexico, light precipitation in the Rockies and Pacific Northwest, and late-week showers in central California. Recent Western dryness and meager high-elevation snowpacks fueled concerns about summer water supplies in several areas including California, the Great Basin, and parts of the Southwest. Early in the week, light to moderately heavy snow spread from the Midwest into the Mid-Atlantic States. Daily-record totals for January 21 included 5.6 inches in Waterloo, IA, and 3.8 inches in Cincinnati, OH. Farther south, however, warmth continued in Florida, where daily-record highs for January 22 climbed to 86 degrees F in both Vero Beach and Melbourne. In contrast, chilly conditions lingered in California. On January 23-24, consecutive daily-record lows were set in Redding (26 and 25 degrees F) and Red Bluff (28 and 27 degrees F). Elsewhere in California, Camarillo noted daily records (31, 35, and 34 degrees F) on January 21, 25, and 26. Cold weather also lingered in Arizona, where Greer (-8 degrees F) posted a daily-record low for January 23. In California's San Joaquin Valley at Fresno, the streak of lows at or below 32 degrees F finally ended at 19 days (January 6-24). The 19-day streak surpassed Fresno's 16-day spell of consecutive freezes observed from December 18, 1990 - January 2, 1991, but fell just shy of its record-setting 20-day cold snap from January 3-22, 1947. By mid-week, heavy showers developed in the western Gulf Coast region, while warmth returned to the northern Plains. In Texas, daily-record rainfall totals for January 24 included 1.81 inches in Victoria and 1.36 inches in Corpus Christi. Farther north, daily-record highs for January 25 reached 66 degrees F in Flatwillow, MT, and 59 degrees F in Dickinson, ND. A day later, Northeastern temperatures remained below 0 degrees F for the entire day in several locations, including Montpelier, VT (high of -2 degrees F on January 26). Daily record-tying lows for January 26 included 5 degrees F in Bridgeport, CT, and 9 degrees F at New York's JFK Airport. Baltimore, MD (14 degrees F on January 26), experienced its lowest reading since February 19, 2006, while Albany, NY (-3 degrees F on January 26), had its lowest temperature since January 29, 2005. Early-week snowfall blanketed parts of southeastern Arizona, where January 21-22 totals included 24.0 inches at Hannagan Meadow, 8.3 inches in Bisbee, and a trace in Tucson. Later, snow crept into southern New Mexico and western Texas, where January 22-23 totals reached 2.3 inches in Carlsbad, NM, and 1.6 inches in El Paso, TX. Farther north, precipitation lingered early in the week across the central Plains, where January 20-21 snowfall totaled 6.8 inches in North Platte, NE. For locations such as Denver, CO, and North Platte, January 30 was the 41st consecutive day with at least a 1-inch snow cover at 7 a.m. The 41-day duration with snow cover represents the fifth-longest such streak in Denver (the record is 63 days in 1983-84) and seventh longest in North Platte (the record is 88 days in 1978-79). Mostly dry weather prevailed in Hawaii, allowing for a wide range of temperatures. Lihue, Kauai, posted a daily record-tying high of 83 degrees F for January 25, followed 2 days later on the Big Island by a daily-record low of 58 degrees F in Hilo. Hawaiian showers were isolated; one of the higher 24-hour totals was 1.86 inches, which fell in Kokee, Kauai, on January 22-23. At the State's major reporting stations, January 1-27 rainfall ranged from 0.06 inch (2 percent of normal) in Kahului, Maui, to 12.23 inches (144 percent) in Hilo. However, nearly all (12.19 inches) of Hilo's rain fell from January 1-20. Meanwhile, Alaska experienced another week with occasional storminess, with temperatures ranging from more than 5 degrees F below normal in some western areas to at least 10 degrees F above normal across parts of the interior. In southern Alaska, Valdez netted a weekly snowfall of 45.2 inches, including 20.0 inches on January 21-22 and 21.5 inches on January 25-26. Valdez's month-to-date snowfall of 137.8 inches (240 percent of normal) represented its highest January total since 1990, when 148.5 inches fell. Elsewhere, Nome's January 1-27 snowfall of 38.7 inches was nearing its January record of 40.9 inches, set in 1937, while Anchorage's month-to-date sum of 29.3 inches was 376 percent of normal. National Agricultural Summary January 22 - 28, 2007 Highlights: Temperatures averaged closer to normal in many areas of the country during the week. California and the Desert Southwest experienced a gradual warming trend, while much of the East and South cooled somewhat to seasonal norms. Unseasonably warm temperatures averaging 5 to 15 degrees F above normal prevailed across the northern Great Plains, contrasting with averages 5 to 10 degrees F cooler than normal southward through the Rocky Mountains and High Plains, as well as across the Northeast. The warm, dry weather in Montana and South Dakota depleted the sparse snow cover, leaving winter wheat vulnerable to damage from extreme overnight temperatures. Beneficial rains stretched across south Texas along the Gulf Coast and into the Southeast, including most of Florida. In California, assessments of damage to citrus and vegetable crops due to recent freezes continue, with county officials indicating significant losses in many areas. The recent cold and lack of moisture slowed the growth of field crops and pastures, but the return of milder weather allowed growers to resume most field activities. In Arizona, seeding of small grains neared completion, while harvest of alfalfa, citrus and vegetable crops was active under cool, mostly dry conditions. In Texas, rain in the south and along the Gulf Coast was beneficial for growth of small grains and pastures. With short forage supplies in many areas of the state, cold weather and heavy winds contributed to an increase in supplemental feeding of livestock. In Florida, as cooler temperatures swept over the state, sugarcane and citrus harvest remained active, as did planting and harvesting of a variety of vegetables. 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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