We 1 (3-08) Weekly Weather And Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released March 11, 2008, 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 March 2 - 8, 2008 Highlights: Two late-winter storms hammered the South, East, and Midwest with rain, snow, and wind. Collectively, the storms produced in excess of 4 inches of rain in parts of the Mid-South, the southern Appalachians, and the northern Mid-Atlantic States, triggering some river flooding in the latter region. In addition, strong thunderstorms swept across the South on March 3-4 and 6-7, spawning several dozen tornadoes and producing local wind damage. Meanwhile, frozen precipitation struck areas from the southeastern Plains into the lower Great Lakes region and the interior Northeast, snarling travel and causing local power outages. In particular, late-week snow fell as far south as the Mississippi Delta, while blizzard conditions engulfed portions of the lower Great Lakes region on March 7-8. Relatively tranquil weather prevailed elsewhere, including the Plains, where significant precipitation was confined to southeastern areas. As a result, drought-stressed winter wheat on the central and southern High Plains remained in need of moisture. In addition, dryness was a concern on the northern High Plains as spring approached. In the West, dry weather promoted fieldwork, especially in California and the Southwest, although below-normal temperatures in those areas slowed crop development. Cold weather also returned to the remainder of the West and persisted across much of the eastern half of the nation, except in the Atlantic Coast States. Weekly temperatures ranged from 10 to 18 degrees F below normal in the upper Midwest but averaged at least 5 degrees F above normal in the Mid-Atlantic coastal plain. Early in the week, the first round of heavy precipitation spread from the southeastern Plains into the East. Topeka, KS, netted a daily-record rainfall (1.10 inches) on March 2, followed the next day by record totals for March 3 in locations such as Ft. Smith, AR (4.66 inches), and Paducah, KY (2.90 inches). Topeka had just completed its wettest winter on record, with a December-February sum of 8.10 inches, or 228 percent of normal (previously, 7.81 inches in 1948-49. Rain changed to snow as the storm departed, leaving Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX, with a 1.0-inch snowfall by late March 3. Farther north, daily-record snowfall totals for March 4 reached 10.0 inches in St. Louis, MO, and 4.0 inches in Springfield, IL. Meanwhile, rainfall records for March 4 were eclipsed in Eastern locations such as Bluefield, WV (2.28 inches), and Raleigh-Durham, NC (2.00 inches). Rain lingered into March 5 across the Atlantic Coast States, where Harrisburg, PA (1.76 inches), and Norfolk, VA (1.64 inches), posted daily rainfall records. Warmth preceded the Eastern rain, resulting in daily-record highs in Ft. Myers, FL (87 degrees F on March 3), and Chattanooga, TN (83 degrees F on March 4). Prior to mid-week, unsettled weather associated with the second storm overspread the Northwest. In western Montana, Neihart (8.7 inches) measured a record snowfall for March 4. Two days later, rainfall records for March 6 included 3.34 inches in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and 2.42 inches in Victoria, TX. Elsewhere in Texas, Dallas-Ft. Worth (1.1 inches on March 6) received at least 1 inch of snow on two calendar days in March for only the second time on record, along with 1942. At the nearby Fort Worth Alliance Airport, 6.0 inches of snow fell. The storm produced phenomenally heavy late-season snowfall elsewhere in the South, with March 6-7 totals unofficially reaching 4 inches (near Spearsville) in north-central Louisiana; 6 inches (in Cleveland) in western Mississippi; 9 inches (in Kiowa and Lake Sherman) in northeastern Texas; 14 inches (near Page) in eastern Oklahoma; and 18 inches (in Fox) in north-central Arkansas. In western Tennessee, 7.2 inches of snow blanketed the National Weather Service office in Memphis on March 7-8. Similarly, the NWS office in Louisville, KY, was buried under a March 7-8 snowfall of 14.4 inches, while as much as a foot of snow covered south-central Indiana. Even higher snowfall totals were observed in the lower Great Lakes States, where Columbus, OH (20.5 inches on March 7-8), shattered its single-storm record of 15.3 inches, set February 17-18, 1910. Columbus also set a record for its highest calendar-day snowfall (15.5 inches on March 8; previously, 12.3 inches on April 4, 1987). Elsewhere in Ohio, Youngstown's March 7-8 total of 11.6 inches boosted its season-to-date snowfall to a record-high 94.3 inches (previously 90.2 inches during the entire 2006-07 season). March 7-9 snowfall topped 20 inches in a few Great Lakes locations, including Erie, PA (23.4 inches), and Buffalo, NY (21.6 inches). Farther east, daily-record rainfall totals for March 9 reached 2.80 inches in Providence, RI, and 1.88 inches in Boston, MA. In the storm's wake, March 7 featured several daily-record lows, including -21 degrees F at both Jamestown, ND, and Pipestone, MN. On March 8 in Wisconsin, La Crosse (-9 degrees F) posted a daily-record low and noted its 30th day since November 1 with a sub-zero minimum temperature. That sum represented La Crosse's greatest number of sub-zero readings since 1993-94, when there were 31 such days. In contrast, warmth lingered in Florida through March 7, when Melbourne (89 degrees F) collected a daily-record high. However, Florida also had to contend with severe weather, including a tornado on March 7 that claimed one life near Lake City. Hawaii experienced another mostly dry week, nearly a month after torrential rainfall ended across windward locations. During the first 8 days of March, no measurable rain fell in Lihue, Kauai; Honolulu, Oahu; and Kahului, Maui. Meanwhile on the Big Island, March 1-8 rainfall totaled just 0.06 inch (2 percent of normal) in Hilo. Farther north, cold weather was confined to northern Alaska, while weekly temperatures averaged as much as 15 degrees F above normal across the southern two-thirds of the state. On March 7, Fairbanks posted a daily-record high of 46 degrees F. Some rain and snow accompanied Alaska's mild weather, with weekly precipitation totaling 3.48 inches (4.5 inches of snow) in Kodiak and 5.86 inches (25.6 inches of snow) in Valdez. National Weather Summary provided by USDA's World Agricultural Outlook Board. For more information, call (202) 720-2397. National Agricultural Summary March 3 - 9, 2008 Herbicide applications continued on small grains in California. Dryland grain was growing well after recent rains and aerial fertilization was reported in some areas. Field preparations continued for spring planting in the State. Arizona durum wheat and barley had emerged on more than 85 percent of the acreage. In Colorado, spring barley seeding began at last year's pace but behind normal. Oklahoma small grains need warm weather to promote rapid growth, as insect activity was evident in 10 percent of the reporting areas. In areas of Oklahoma suffering from extreme dryness, winter wheat was yet to emerge or was just beginning to emerge. Texas Blackland small grains were benefitted by precipitation in the form of snow and rain. Louisiana winter wheat benefitted from rain with some rust reported in the State. Fertilization, irrigation, cultivation, and chemical applications continued on California sugarbeet acreage while sweet potato hotbed planting continued. In Oklahoma, seed bed preparations for most row crops were ongoing. Texas producers were harvesting sugarcane in the South Texas and Lower Valley regions. Cotton field preparations continued in the Blacklands while cotton planting continued in the Lower Valley. Corn producers were delayed by rain in some areas of Texas, while planting continued in other areas. In Louisiana, sugarcane producers were destroying old stubble and applying herbicides, while rice planting preparations began. Vegetable harvest continued in California. Producers were also weeding, irrigating, and treating for insects, mildew, and weeds. California tomato transplanting began for fresh and processing markets. Arizona producers continued harvesting, packing, and further marketing of multiple vegetables. In Texas, producers in the Trans Pecos region were planting onions, while in South Texas, green beans were planted. Planting also continued in northeast Texas, as cabbage harvest continued in South Texas and the Lower Valley. Louisiana producers prepared for spring vegetable planting and in Florida, harvest and packing continued. California grape buds were starting to swell and vineyard pruning was complete. As warm weather promoted an increase in bee pollination, stone fruit bloom was evident in some areas. Elsewhere bloom had just begun and fungicide treatments were applied to protect moist blooms. Melon planting was ongoing in the Trans Pecos region of Texas and Louisiana producers were harvesting and marketing strawberries. California citrus harvest gained momentum as groves dried out from earlier rains. In Louisiana, fertilization of citrus trees was complete by the end of the week. A Florida cold front brought plentiful rains to most citrus areas, which was beneficial for the upcoming bloom period. Fertilizer and systemic pesticide applications continued in Florida citrus groves, along with hedging and topping. 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. 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