We 1 (12-07) Weekly Weather And Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released December 4, 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 Dawn Keen at (202) 720-7621, office hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. National Weather Summary November 25 - December 1, 2007 Highlights: A major winter storm crossed the nation from the Southwest to the Great Lakes region, providing drought relief in southern California and the Four Corners States but largely bypassing winter wheat areas of the High Plains. Storm-total precipitation topped 2 inches in many locations from southern California into western Colorado, with more than 4 inches reported on Arizona's Mogollon Plateau. Elsewhere in the West, mostly dry weather prevailed across the remainder of California and the Great Basin, but a late-week storm brought high winds and heavy precipitation to the Pacific Northwest. Farther east, topsoil moisture remained inadequate for the proper autumn establishment of winter wheat on the central and southern High Plains. In contrast, frigid weather covered the northern Plains, where wheat settled into dormancy beneath a protective blanket of snow. Meanwhile, wintry weather overspread the Midwest in early December, increasing stress on livestock but maintaining generally favorable conditions for winter wheat. Frozen precipitation (snow, sleet, and freezing rain) followed by cold, windy weather was heaviest across the northern half of the Corn Belt. Elsewhere, cold, wintry conditions overspread the Northeast at week's end, while warm weather prevailed across the South. In the Southeast, where drought-easing rains ended early in the week, the late-week storm passed too far north to provide much additional moisture. However, the return to Southeastern dryness allowed winter wheat planting and cotton and soybean harvesting to proceed. Early in the week, rain and snow lingered across the South. In western Texas, Midland netted 3.0 inches on November 25, boosting its 4-day total to 6.2 inches. That total exceeded Midland's normal annual snowfall of 5.2 inches. Farther east, daily-record rainfall totals in Arkansas for November 25 included 2.18 inches in North Little Rock and 1.74 inches in El Dorado. On November 26, daily rainfall records were set in locations such as Chattanooga, TN (2.43 inches), and London, KY (1.30 inches). Cool air in the rain's wake resulted in a daily-record low (34 degrees F on November 26) in Corpus Christi, TX. Locally heavy showers lingered along Florida's east coast through November 29, when daily records totaled 1.13 inches in Daytona Beach and 1.01 inches in West Palm Beach. Farther west, storminess arrived toward week's end in both the Northwest and Southwest. By November 29, heavy snow blanketed the interior Northwest, where both Pendleton, OR (5.7 inches), and Yakima, WA (5.6 inches), received daily-record totals. From November 28 - December 1, Pendleton's 4-day snowfall reached 9.4 inches. Precipitation and flooding intensified across the Pacific Northwest on December 2-3, and these highlights will be addressed in next week's summary. Howling winds accompanied the storminess along the northern Pacific Coast, where reported gusts in Oregon included 129 m.p.h. in Bay City and 125 m.p.h. in Lincoln City. During the storm, offshore wave heights averaged 40 feet at several buoys near the Oregon coast, with peak wave heights in the 60- to 70-foot range. By December 1, daily-record lows included 10 degrees F in Klamath Falls, OR, and 24 degrees F in Redding, CA. Meanwhile, heavy rain arrived in the Southwest on the last day of November. Daily-record rainfall totals for November 30 included 1.23 inches in Phoenix, AZ, and 2.00 inches in Vista, CA. The storm boosted the year-to-date rainfall in Phoenix from 2.73 to 4.01 inches. Elsewhere in Arizona, Mount Lemmon (near Tucson) netted 4.80 inches of rain in a 24-hour period on November 30 - December 1. In Blythe, CA, where 1.04 inches fell on November 30, the storm accounted for more than one-quarter of the normal annual rainfall of 4.02 inches. Farther north, 25 inches of snow blanketed Brian Head, in southwestern Utah. In advance of the Southwestern storm, warmth spread across the southern High Plains, where Midland, TX, posted a daily-record high (80 degrees F on December 1). Meanwhile, the month ended with record-low rainfall totals for November in Southeastern locations such as Charleston, SC (0.03 inch; previously, 0.16 inch in 1998), and Raleigh-Durham, NC (0.48 inch; previously, 0.50 inch in 2001). In Wisconsin, Green Bay also completed its driest November (0.10 inch; previously, 0.16 inch in 1976), but received 6.0 inches of snow on December 1. Other upper Midwestern daily-record snowfall totals for December 1 included 10.3 inches in Duluth, MN; 8.5 inches in Aberdeen, SD; 7.4 inches in Fargo, ND; and 7.0 inches in Rhinelander, WI. Just to the south, freezing rain glazed Midwestern surfaces from the middle Missouri Valley into the Great Lakes region, disrupting travel and causing local power outages. On December 1, La Crosse, WI, received a daily-record precipitation total of 1.21 inches, which mostly fell as freezing rain, sleet, and 4.8 inches of snow. Aside from a brief period of heavy showers, warm, mostly dry weather prevailed in Hawaii. Rain, most of which fell on November 27-28, totaled more than 6 inches and caused flash flooding in a few locations. Selected 2-day totals included 6.93 inches in Honaunau, on the Big Island, and 7.00 inches in Hanapepe, Kauai. Most (5.60 inches) of Honaunau's rain fell in a 3-hour period during the afternoon of November 28. Farther north, November ended on a mild, dry note across most of the Alaskan mainland, where weekly temperatures generally averaged 10 to 20 degrees F above normal. King Salmon attained 50 degrees F on both November 30 and December 1, setting daily records on both dates. Elsewhere, Bethel posted five consecutive daily-record highs (42, 42, 47, 50, and 49 degrees F) from November 27 - December 1. Heavy precipitation was confined to southwestern Alaska, where Cold Bay netted a weekly rainfall total of 7.39 inches. Cold Bay was pelted by 5.48 inches of rain on November 29-30. In contrast, Fairbanks completed its sixth-driest November, with a precipitation total of just 0.11 inch (16 percent of normal). Fairbanks' November snowfall totaled 4.2 inches, well below the normal of 15.0 inches. National Weather Summary provided by USDA's World Agricultural Outlook Board. For more information, call (202) 720-2397. National Agricultural Summary November 26 - December 2, 2007 Highlights: In the Pacific Northwest up to 4 inches of precipitation fell, while the Southwest, the Four Corners region as well as southern California and Nevada received mild to moderate precipitation. Central Arizona received more than 4 inches, while in eastern portions of both New Mexico and Colorado precipitation was light. Little to no rainfall was evident in the Great Plains. In the Corn Belt, 1 to 2 inches of moisture fell from eastern Nebraska, northeastward into the Great Lakes region. Moderate to heavy precipitation was also received in a band stretching from the Delta, across the Tennessee Valley and Ohio Valley, and into the Northeast. Major winter wheat areas remained uncovered, with the exception of South Dakota, Oregon, and Washington, where snow blanketed the crop. Temperatures remained above normal throughout the week across southern States from Arizona to Florida, except Louisiana, where temperatures were slightly below normal. Average temperatures were also above normal northward from Florida into the Northeast. Near normal temperatures were evident through the central Great Plains and Middle Mississippi Valley. Elsewhere, temperatures were cooler than average throughout the week. Arizona temperatures remained mostly above normal as cotton harvest reached 80 percent complete. In California, cool conditions continued as some rain fell in the southern portion of the State. Winter wheat continued to emerge and was about 40 percent complete. In Georgia, recent rains have improved topsoil moisture, as well as some crop and pasture conditions. However, subsoil moisture remains inadequate. A few scattered showers in the Panhandle and cooler temperatures were observed across most of Texas. Small grains were lacking rainfall while cotton harvest continued. 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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