We 1 (12-07) Weekly Weather And Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released December 18, 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 9 - 15, 2007 Highlights: A stormy regime provided widespread precipitation (snow, sleet, freezing rain, and rain) to the Southwest, central and southern Plains, Midwest, and Northeast. In general, moisture was highly beneficial for winter grains and building high-elevation snow packs, but caused significant travel and electrical disruptions. Precipitation was focused along and near a frontal boundary that separated cold air (weekly temperatures at least 10 degrees F below normal at many locations) in New England and the western and central U.S. from unusually warm weather in the Southeast (10 to 18 degrees F above normal). West of the Rockies, precipitation was mostly confined to the Four Corners region and the Pacific Northwest. Dry weather returned to California and the Great Basin, where snow packs continued to languish at well-below-normal levels in spite of the previous week's precipitation. Meanwhile on the Plains, cold, dry weather in Montana and the Dakotas contrasted with wintry weather farther south. Destructive, early-week ice accumulations in parts of Kansas and Oklahoma were followed by additional frozen precipitation toward week's end. However, the blanket of snow and ice not only insulated winter wheat, but also improved topsoil moisture as melting commenced. Farther east, Midwestern weather conditions ranged from cold and dry in the upper Mississippi Valley to rainy and mild in the Ohio Valley. In between, significant snow and ice accumulations stressed Midwestern livestock but maintained adequate to abundant soil moisture reserves. Similar conditions were observed in the Northeast, with cold, mostly dry weather in northern New England and wintry precipitation in the northern Mid-Atlantic States. Elsewhere, heavy rain affected parts of the South, with 4-inch weekly totals observed from Arkansas to Kentucky. However, warm, dry weather prevailed in the Southeast, until beneficial showers developed at week's end. Late-week rainfall totaled at least 2 inches in parts of Georgia and South Carolina, providing much-needed drought relief. According to the California Department of Water Resources, the water equivalent of the high-elevation Sierra Nevada snow pack stood at 2 inches on December 16, just 32 percent of normal for the date. Farther south, however, Flagstaff, AZ, received 25.4 inches of snow from December 7-11, most (20.6 inches) of which fell on December 10-11. Cold weather trailed the Western storminess, resulting in several daily-record lows. In California, Camarillo (34 and 33 degrees F) noted consecutive daily-record lows on December 13-14. Records for December 15 included -21 degrees F in Laramie, WY, -17 degrees F in Ballard, UT, and -12 degrees F in Greer, AZ. Farther east, major ice accumulations glazed parts of the Plains and Midwest. In St. Joseph, MO, precipitation totaled 2.34 inches on December 10-11, while temperatures ranged from 13 to 33 degrees F. Similarly in Oklahoma on December 9-10, Oklahoma City collected 2.05 inches of liquid equivalent (with a temperature range of 25 to 34 degrees F), while 2.27 inches fell in Tulsa (28 to 33 degrees F). In fact, historic tree damage and power outages were reported in much of the Interstate-44 corridor in Oklahoma, with more than 600,000 customers without electricity at the peak of the storm. Meanwhile in the Midwest, Milwaukee, WI, received 23.0 inches of snow during the first 15 days of December. Without any more snow, Milwaukee would experience its sixth-snowiest December since 1871. With just 5.0 inches more, it would be Milwaukee's second-snowiest December behind the 49.5-inch total in 2000. Meanwhile in Iowa, Des Moines noted its wettest December 1-15 period on record (2.35 inches; previously, 2.01 inches in 1899). Des Moines' precipitation fell mostly in the form of freezing rain and 7.8 inches of snow and sleet. Farther south, St. Louis, MO, noted its fourth-snowiest December day on record, with a 6.9-inch total on the 15th. Across the nation's mid-section, daily snowfall records associated with the late-week storm included 10.4 inches (on December 14) in Dodge City, KS, and 8.1 inches (on December 15) in Springfield, IL. Farther east, a major round of wintry weather affected the Northeast on December 13, when daily snowfall records reached 10.1 inches in Boston, MA; 8.2 inches in Providence, RI; and 6.8 inches in Binghamton, NY. Additional wintry weather reached the Northeast from December 15-17, and will be addressed in next week's summary. For example, Boston received 10.5 inches of snow on December 13-14, followed by 7.6 inches on December 16. The week opened with record-setting warmth across the South. Alexandria, LA, posted highs of 83 degrees F on December 8, 9, 10, and 12, tying its monthly record first set on December 4, 1995. In North Carolina, monthly records were observed on December 10 in both Charlotte (80 degrees F; previously 79 degrees F on December 20, 1931) and Raleigh-Durham (81 degrees F; tied 81 degrees F on December 6 and 7, 1998). Augusta, GA, set daily-record highs on 5 consecutive days from December 9-13, with readings reaching either 81 or 82 degrees F each day. Augusta's highs of 82 degrees F on December 10 and 12 tied its monthly record, previously attained on December 3, 1982, and December 6 and 7, 1998. In contrast, late-week daily-record lows in Michigan included -2 degrees F (on December 14) in Alpena and -10 degrees F (on December 15) in Marquette. Mild, but unsettled weather prevailed in Alaska, where daily snowfall records included 4.1 inches (on December 10) in Nome and 6.0 inches (on December 11) in Anchorage. Mainland Alaskan weekly temperatures averaged at least 10 degrees F above normal, except across the southern tier. Meanwhile, fairly quiet weather returned to Hawaii, following the previous week's cold frontal passage. Nevertheless, locally heavy showers continued in some windward locations. On the Big Island, Hilo's weekly rainfall of 5.63 inches boosted its December 1-15 total to 7.49 inches (131 percent of normal). National Weather Summary provided by USDA's World Agricultural Outlook Board. For more information, call (202) 720-2397. National Agricultural Summary December 10 -16, 2007 Highlights: Western regions experienced mostly dry weather during the week with light to moderate precipitation falling over northwestern Washington and on portions of the Four Corners region. The central and southern Great Plains received between 1 and 4 inches of precipitation in most areas with the exception of southwest Texas, where little to no rain fell. Two to four inches of precipitation fell in the form of rain, freezing rain, sleet, and snow in a band from the eastern areas of the southern Great Plains to the Northeast. Abundant rainfall was also evident from the Atlantic Coastal Plains southward to the Florida panhandle. Temperatures averaged above normal from southeast Texas, north to the Great Lakes and eastward to the Coast, while elsewhere temperatures were below normal. In the Southeast, temperatures were as much as 15 degrees Fahrenheit above normal but were 12 to 15 degrees below normal in the central Rocky Mountains. Adequate snow cover was evident across major winter wheat areas with the exception of isolated parts of Montana, the southern Great Plains, and the Southeast. Although some areas of the wheat acreage remains exposed to cold weather, temperatures in these areas have remained at nonthreatening levels. Cotton harvested is 90 percent complete across Arizona while alfalfa harvest was active on under half of the State's acreage. California alfalfa planting was winding down while cotton harvest neared completion and fruit and vegetable field activities continued. Cooler temperatures were expected to promote fruit size in California's citrus crops. In Georgia, rain received over the weekend should improve crop conditions, and help the remainder of the wheat crop emerge. Any winter wheat that had emerged was progressing well. 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. 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