We 1 (3-07) Weekly Weather And Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released March 6, 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. 10 February 25 - March 3, 2007 For additional information, call (202) 720-2397. Highlights: Similar late-winter storms, five days apart, produced a variety of significant weather across the U.S. Both storms plastered the upper Midwest with heavy snow, raked the Plains and Corn Belt with high winds, triggered lowland flooding in parts of the central and eastern Corn Belt, and sparked severe thunderstorms across the South. From February 23-25 and February 28 - March 2, harsh Midwestern weather caused significant travel disruptions and maintained severe stress on livestock. Blizzard conditions twice engulfed parts of the upper Midwest. Conditions were somewhat less severe across winter wheat areas of the Plains, although cold, windy weather and some snow trailed both departing Midwestern storms. Meanwhile, the nation's third and fourth tornado outbreaks in less than a month left pockets of wind damage across the South, especially on March 1 in Alabama and Georgia. Otherwise, Southern showers boosted soil moisture in preparation for the upcoming growing season but slowed fieldwork. Farther north, briefly heavy showers pelted areas from the southern Appalachians to the Atlantic Seaboard, while frozen precipitation affected parts of the Northeast. Elsewhere, worsening drought conditions in southern California and Arizona contrasted with recent improvements in soil moisture and high-elevation snow packs across roughly the northern half of the West. Nevertheless, water supply forecasts continued to indicate that many Western river basins will produce below-normal spring and summer runoff. Early in the week, lingering effects of the first storm included chilly conditions in the West and additional snow across the Midwest. Snow also fell in the northern Mid-Atlantic region. Camarillo, CA (36 degrees F), posted a daily-record low for February 25, while daily snowfall records included 11.3 inches in Duluth, MN; 8.0 inches in La Crosse, WI; 5.6 inches in Mason City, IA; and 4.5 inches at Virginia's Dulles Airport. Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP), MN, received 8.7 inches of snow on February 24-25, representing its sixth-highest 2-day total on record. It was MSP's heaviest 2-day snowfall since February 1-2, 2004, when 10.7 inches fell. In addition, MSP's February 23-26 total of 9.1 inches accounted for 43 percent of its season-to-date snowfall of 21.3 inches. Meanwhile in Wisconsin, La Crosse endured its largest snow storm on record. From February 23-25, La Crosse's 21.0-inch snowfall eclipsed its standard of 19.1 inches set from March 12-14, 1997. Official Wisconsin snowfall totals from February 23-26 included 21.1 inches in La Crosse, 16.5 inches in Madison, and 15.0 inches in Green Bay. Other 4-day Midwestern snowfall totals included 16.2 inches in Duluth, MN; 11.7 inches in Milwaukee, WI; 7.1 inches in Des Moines, IA; and 4.7 inches in Chicago, IL, with unofficial amounts topping 2 feet in locations such as Winona (Winona County), MN, and Galesville (Trempeleau County), WI. In addition, ice accumulations were particularly devastating in eastern Iowa and vicinity, where as much as 0.5 to 1.5 inches of freezing rain caused widespread damage and power outages. By February 26, the second storm arrived in the West, producing record precipitation totals in Nevada locations such as Reno (0.35 inch, melted from 3.7 inches of snow) and Winnemucca (4.6 inches of snow). In advance of the storm, very warm weather expanded across the South, resulting in daily-record highs for February 27 in Ft. Pierce, FL (90 degrees F), and San Angelo, TX (87 degrees F). In contrast, heavy snow arrived across the northern Plains on February 28, when daily-record totals reached 10.1 inches in Huron, SD, and 6.0 inches in Williston, ND. Additional daily snowfall records were broken on March 1, when totals included 16.4 inches in Duluth, MN; 9.0 inches at both MSP, MN, and the NWS Office in Grand Forks, ND; and 8.7 inches in Sioux City, IA. Winds in excess of 50 m.p.h. created blizzard conditions across the upper Midwest; an official gust to 66 m.p.h (on March 1) was clocked at Duluth's Sky Harbor Airport. Farther south, strong thunderstorms, heavy rain, and high winds swept across areas from the Mid-South into the Southeast on February 28 - March 1. On the latter date, a rash of as many as four dozen tornadoes claimed 20 lives ten in Alabama, nine in Georgia, and one in Missouri matching the death toll of the two tornadoes that struck Lake County, FL, on February 2. Elsewhere in the Southeast, rainfall records for March 1 were shattered in Tupelo, MS (2.63 inches), and Greenville-Spartanburg, SC (2.83 inches), followed the next morning by wind gusts to 58 m.p.h. in Raleigh-Durham, NC, and 56 m.p.h. in Columbia, SC. As the Midwestern storm system marched slowly eastward, heavy rain set over 15 daily records across the Northeast on March 2. In Bridgeport, CT, 3.59 inches of rain fell, easily eclipsing the previous standard of 0.96 inches. In New York, numerous locations reported over 2 inches of rain, including Laguardia (2.44 inches), Central Park (2.41 inches), and Islip (2.14 inches). Farther north, daily records were also set at Providence, RI (2.87 inches) and Worcester, MA (2.05 inches), while lighter but still record-setting rain fell in Pennsylvania (Allentown, 1.29 inches; Philadelphia, 1.22 inches). In Maine, where cold air remained firmly entrenched, over 6 inches of snow fell in Bangor (6.6 inches) and Caribou (6.4 inches), setting new daily records for these locations. Unusually cold weather continued to grip much of Alaska into early March, holding weekly temperatures as much as 29 degrees F below normal. Bettles (-44 degrees F) notched a daily-record low on February 27, followed the next day by records in southern Alaskan locations such as Juneau (-2 degrees F) and Valdez (6 degrees F). Persistently dry weather accompanied Alaska's frigid regime; in fact, February precipitation totaled less than one-tenth of an inch in several locations, including Kotzebue (0.03 inch, or 7 percent of normal), McGrath (0.05 inch, or 7 percent), and Valdez (0.06 inch, or 1 percent). The 0.06-inch sum in Valdez erased its February 1989 standard of 0.57 inch. Valdez also noted a record-low February snowfall of 0.6 inch (previously, 4.6 inches in 1982), following a 6-week period in December and January when more than 200 inches fell. In sharp contrast to February dryness, heavy snow arrived in southeastern Alaska on February 2. New daily snowfall records were set at Hoonah (26.0 inches), Petersburg (21.0 inches), Pelican (12.0 inches),and the Juneau Airport (10.7 inches). Farther south, drier-than-normal weather continued across leeward sections of Hawaii, but late-month downpours boosted February rainfall well above normal in some windward locations. February totals were as low as 0.40 inch (17 percent of normal) in Honolulu, Oahu, and 0.93 inch (39 percent) in Kahului, Maui. On the Big Island, however, Hilo netted a February sum of 14.23 inches (161 percent of normal), aided by a 10.84-inch total during the last 7 days of the month. In early March, heavy showers generally subsided in most windward areas. National Agricultural Summary February 26 - March 4, 2007 Highlights: Temperatures were below normal across the western half of the Nation, while above-normal temperatures prevailed in the east. Meanwhile, moderate to heavy precipitation fell across most of the Pacific Coast and Atlantic Coast. A major storm system moved through the north-central part of the Nation, leaving behind a strong change in pressure. As a result, snow blanketed the Upper Mississippi Valley and the Great Lakes region. Snowfall up to 39.0 inches was reported in Wisconsin with this storm system. However, dry conditions prevailed in the Southwest and throughout the central and southern Great Plains, with only light precipitation recorded in the regions. Snow cover in the major winter wheat areas was limited, exposing most of the crop to cold weather. In Florida, cabbage harvest accelerated as growers began to meet the St. Patrick's holiday demand, while sugarcane harvesting continued around Lake Okeechobee. In Texas, winter wheat conditions improved in the Northern and Southern High Plains due to warmer temperatures, however producers in the Low Plains were less fortunate as high winds were detrimental to the crop. Harvest of citrus crops continued in California, and warm weather promoted the growth of small grains. In Arizona, emergence of durum wheat and barley was virtually complete, while alfalfa harvest and cotton planting was active. ACCESS TO REPORTS!! 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