We 1 (12-07) Weekly Weather And Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released December 11, 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 December 2 - 8, 2007 Highlights: The week opened in the midst of a series of major Pacific storms, which brought record flooding and damaging winds to parts of the Northwest. Effects of the storms spread as far east as the northern Rockies, where heavy rain and snow fell. During the second half of the week, tranquil weather returned to the Northwest, while much-needed precipitation spread across areas from California to the Four Corners States. Meanwhile, mostly dry weather prevailed on the Plains, except for some late-week snow across Nebraska and neighboring areas. On the northern High Plains, however, mild, breezy weather eroded winter wheat's protective snow cover. Mild weather also prevailed on the southern High Plains, maintaining stress on winter wheat. In contrast, bitterly cold air settled across the upper Midwest, where some readings below -20 degrees F were reported. In fact, cold weather and wintry precipitation throughout the Midwest and Northeast stressed livestock but generally benefited dormant winter grains. Farther south, showers reached the Ohio Valley, but little or no rain fell across the Gulf and Atlantic Coast States. In particular, dry weather in the southern Atlantic States promoted late-season fieldwork but further stressed pastures and winter grains and maintained concerns about long-term water supplies. Toward week's end, warmth replaced previously cool conditions in the Southeast. Elsewhere, warm weather in the West contrasted with frigid conditions across the Midwest and Northeast. Weekly temperatures ranged from more than 15 degrees F below normal in parts of the upper Midwest to as much as 15 degrees F above normal in the southern Rockies. Precipitation and flooding intensified across the Pacific Northwest on December 2-3. During the first 4 days of December, approximately 18 inches of rain fell at Cushman Dam, WA, with a 24-hour maximum of more than 13 inches. Elsewhere in western Washington, the National Weather Service office in Seattle received 4.15 inches on December 3; the former daily record since the site opened in 1986 was 3.59 inches on October 20, 2003. In the Cascades, Plain, WA, received 32.0 inches of snow in a 48-hour period from December 1-3. Flooding was particularly severe in the Chehalis River basin, where crest records were broken at Centralia (9.8 feet above flood stage), Grand Mound (6.2 feet above flood stage), and Porter, WA (5.0 feet above flood stage). At all three Chehalis River locations, record crests from February 9, 1996, were surpassed by less than a foot. Meanwhile, in northern Oregon, storm-total rainfall topped 10 inches at several locations in the Coast Range and the Cascades. Lee's Camp, OR, netted 14.50 inches, of which 11.50 inches fell in a 30-hour period on December 2-3. 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. Farther inland, Mullan Pass, ID, received 4.65 inches of precipitation in a 48-hour period on December 2-4. Snowfall ranged from 2 to 4 feet at some locations in the northern Rockies, including Mullan Pass (34 inches) and Cool Creek, ID (43 inches). Later in the week, storminess shifted southward across the remainder of the West. As much as 2 feet of snow blanketed the Sierra Nevada, while daily-record totals included 1.32 inches (on December 6) in Sacramento, CA; Salt Lake City, UT (1.10 inches on December 7), and Reno, NV (0.83 inch on December 7). Salt Lake City also measured 8.4 inches of snow on December 7-8. Elsewhere in Utah, December 6-9 Wasatch Range snowfall totals reached 40 inches in Alta and 30 inches at Snowbird. Meanwhile in western Colorado, snowfall totaled 49.5 inches in Gothic, 42.0 inches at Coal Bank Pass, and 38.5 inches at Crested Butte. Daily-record precipitation totals were noted as far south as Arizona, where Flagstaff received 1.58 inches on December 7. Flagstaff also noted 4.8 inches of snow from December 7-9. By week's end, snow spread eastward from the Intermountain region across the central Plains. Lander, WY (9.0 inches), collected a daily-record snowfall on December 7, followed by a 3.1-inch total the following day in North Platte, NE. Lander's December 7-9 total reached 14.5 inches. Warmth preceding the Western storminess resulted in numerous daily-record highs. In fact, Hattiesburg, MS (84 degrees F on December 2), and Alexandria, LA (83 degrees F on December 8), tied monthly record highs, previously achieved on December 7, 1951, and December 4, 1995, respectively. Among more than six dozen daily-record highs were readings of 92 degrees F (on December 2) in McAllen, TX, and 76 degrees F (on December 4) in Burlington, CO. On December 8, Houston, TX (83 degrees F), experienced its warmest December day since December 7, 1998 (84 degrees F). In contrast, very cold air settled across the northern Plains, the Midwest, and the Northeast, preceded by widespread snow. Daily-record snowfall totals for December 4 reached 6.2 inches in Grand Forks, ND, and 5.6 inches in Madison, WI. In the Great Lakes snow belt region, Rochester, NY, received 20.0 inches of snow from December 1-5, including a daily-record total of 8.4 inches on December 4. Farther east, heavy snow fell early in the week across northern New England, where Bangor, ME, netted a daily-record sum (12.3 inches) on December 3. Later in North Dakota, Grand Forks set daily records on December 5 and 8 (-19 and -26 degrees F, respectively). Record lows for December 6 included -22 degrees F in Merrill, WI; 0 degrees F in Chicago, IL; and 1 degree F in Zanesville, OH. A strong cold front hammered Hawaii with heavy precipitation and high winds. In fact, a rare blizzard warning was issued for the highest peaks of the Big Island, where several inches of wind-driven snow fell. December 4-6 rainfall topped 10 inches in several locations, including the Lanai Airport (10.66 inches); Kokee, Kauai (13.14 inches); and the Big Island's Kapapala Ranch (14.88 inches). On Maui, Kahului collected 5.81 inches of rain (807 percent of normal) from December 1-8, accounting for nearly half of its year-to-date total of 12.06 inches. Kahului also clocked a southerly wind gust to 53 m.p.h. on December 5. Other Hawaiian peak gusts on December 4-5 included 68 m.p.h. at Wheeler Air Force Base, Oahu, and 55 m.p.h. in Lihue, Kauai. Prior to the front's arrival, Hilo (86 and 85 degrees F) opened December with consecutive daily-record highs. Lihue (85 degrees F) also posted a record high for December 2. Farther north, mild, unsettled weather prevailed across much of Alaska, except for cold conditions across southeastern areas. McGrath received 0.72 inch (8.0 inches of snow) during the week, including a daily-record total of 0.41 inch on December 6. Parts of Alaska also dealt with high winds, which on December 2-3 gusted to 54 m.p.h. in Nome and 46 m.p.h. in McGrath. National Weather Summary provided by USDA's World Agricultural Outlook Board. For more information, call (202) 720-2397. National Agricultural Summary December 3 -9, 2007 Highlights: In the west, along the Pacific Coast, precipitation accumulations were greater than 4 inches in northern California to Northern Washington. Farther inland, equivalent accumulations fell in Washington and Oregon. However, farther south, less precipitation was receive in inland areas, although moderate accumulation swere recorded. Moderate to heavy precipitation fell in isolated areas along the Rocky Mountains. Farther east, into the Great Plains, minimal precipitation occurred, while from the middle Mississippi Valley, eastward into the Ohio Valley, moderate to heavy precipitation was evident. West of the Great Plains, temperatures averaged 3 to 12 degrees Fahrenheit above normal, with the exception of northern Montana where temperatures were 3 to 6 degrees below normal. From the Great Plains, eastward, southern areas received warmer than normal temperatures while north of the Ohio Valley and into the northern Great Plains, temperatures were 3 to 15 degrees below normal. In major winter wheat areas snow cover was limited. With above normal temperatures prevailing across Arizona for the week ending December 9, small grain plantings had begun in the western part of the State. In Georgia, winter grasses were having a tough time getting established under the continued drought conditions. Several cattle producers were selling their herds due to the shortage of hay and the high cost of alternative feed. In Texas, unseasonably warm temperatures were observed throughout the week until a weekend cold front came through dropping temperatures into the low 40's. Small grains continued to struggle due to lack of rainfall. Cotton harvest neared completion in the Panhandle and Edwards Plateau. ACCESS TO REPORTS!! 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