We 1 (12-08) Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released December 23, 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 December 14 - 20, 2008 Highlights: Bitterly cold weather gripped the northern and central Plains, the upper Midwest, and much of the West, maintaining difficult conditions for livestock. Weekly temperatures averaged at least 20 to 30 degrees F below normal in Montana, northern Wyoming, and the western Dakotas, and scattered readings below -30 degrees F were noted across the northern Plains from December 15-17. Temperatures failed to climb above 10 degrees F for the entire week in parts of North Dakota and eastern Montana. However, a substantial snow cover insulated winter wheat across the northern Plains and the interior Northwest. Farther south, a patchy, shallow snow cover increased concerns about the potential for winter kill in wheat areas of the central High Plains, where early-week temperatures fell into the range of -20 to 0 degrees F. Meanwhile, stormy weather engulfed the West, especially from southern California to the Four Corners region. Following a dismal start to the 2008-09 winter wet season, snow was especially beneficial in the Southwestern mountains. On December 17, snow fell on the valley floor as far south as Las Vegas, NV. On the Plains, however, precipitation was mostly light and confined to northern and eastern portions of the region. Nevertheless, snow depths of at least a half-foot were common across the northern Plains due to early- to mid-December storminess. Farther east, frozen precipitation and very cold conditions stressed livestock and caused travel disruptions across much of the Midwest. Late-week Midwestern snow depths of 12 to 18 inches were common, especially from eastern portions of the Dakotas and Nebraska to Michigan. Elsewhere, abundant precipitation fell in the South and East, except for warm, mostly dry conditions across the lower Southeast. Precipitation, which totaled 2 inches or more in parts of the central and southern Appalachians and neighboring areas, included some snow, sleet, and freezing rain in the Northeast. Early in the week, a strong cold front swept across the Plains and the Midwest. Childress, TX (76 degrees F), and Tulsa, OK (75 degrees F), posted daily-record highs during the afternoon of December 15, then experienced 56- degree temperature plunges by midnight (to 20 and 19 degrees F, respectively). Farther north, a blizzard continued to rage across the northern Plains and the upper Midwest. On December 13-14, Bismarck, ND, noted consecutive daily-record snowfall totals of 5.9 and 6.6 inches, respectively. Watertown, SD, collected a daily-record snowfall (6.0 inches) on December 14, which was also its first of 9 consecutive days with a low temperature below 0 degrees F. In Montana, daily-record lows for December 14 included -33 degrees F in Havre and -25 degrees F in Great Falls. Chilly weather also affected California's Central Valley, where lows of 26 degrees F in Hanford and 27 degrees F in Merced were both records for December 14. The following day, lows of -30 degrees F in Havre, MT; -20 degrees F in Buffalo, WY; and -19 degrees F in Denver, CO, were among dozen of daily records for December 15. Later in the day, high temperatures for December 15 struggled to reach -16 degrees F in both Williston, ND, and Glasgow, MT. Even colder air gripped parts of Montana on December 16, when lows plunged to -39 degrees F in Simpson and -35 degrees F in both Harlem and Chinook. Elsewhere, storminess took aim on the South, West, and Midwest. Daily-record highs for December 15 in advance of the Eastern storminess included 79 degrees F in Augusta, GA; 73 degrees F in Richmond, VA; and 67 degrees F in New York's Central Park and Newark, NJ. The following day, however, Newark (1.6 inches) collected a daily-record snowfall for December 16. Farther west, daily snowfall records for December 16 were also established in locations such as Chicago, IL (4.8 inches); Concordia, KS (4.6 inches); and Madison, WI (4.4 inches). In Oregon, 11.1 inches of snow blanketed Pendleton from December 13-15, including a daily-record total (4.6 inches) on the 15th. In the Southwest, separate rounds of heavy precipitation arrived on December 15 and 17. In southern California, Los Angeles (LAX) netted a daily-record rainfall of 1.89 inches on December 15, followed by a daily- record amount of 1.57 inches in Palm Springs on December 17. Elsewhere in southern California, winds during the second storm (on December 17) were clocked to 84 m.p.h. on Wiley Ridge, while the snow depth at Big Bear Lake climbed to 54 inches. Big Bear Lake's greatest snow depth on record was 58 inches on February 3, 1979. On December 17, snow also blanketed Las Vegas, NV, where the 3.6-inch total set records for the snowiest December (2.0 inches in 1967) and snowiest December day (2.0 inches on December 15, 1967). By December 18, cold air in the Western storm's wake resulted in daily-record lows in California locations such as Palmdale (18 degrees F) and Redding (23 degrees F). Meanwhile, record-setting snow also buried the interior Northwest. On December 17-18, 24-hour snowfall records were broken in locations such as Coeur d'Alene, ID (25.0 inches), and Spokane, WA (19.4 inches). Previous records were 16.0 inches (on February 26, 1955) in Coeur d'Alene and 13.0 inches (on January 6-7, 1950) in Spokane. By December 20, daily-record lows in Washington included -23 degrees F in La Crosse, -21 degrees F in Winthrop, and -18 degrees F in Spokane. Farther east, late-week highlights included rapid warming in the Southeast and yet another round of wintry weather from the Midwest into the Northeast. On December 19, daily-record highs soared to 82 degrees F in Baton Rouge, LA, and 79 degrees F in Hattiesburg, MS. Farther north, however, daily snowfall records for the 19th included 15.5 inches in Marquette, MI; 11.6 inches in Worcester, MA; and 11.4 inches in Milwaukee, WI. Through week's end, season-to-date snowfall totals of 29.4 inches in Rochester, MN, and 29.2 inches in La Crosse, WI, were the highest since July 1 - December 20 values in those locations since 1991. Elsewhere in Wisconsin, Appleton's month-to-date snowfall of 30.8 inches established a December record, previously set with 28.1 inches in 1968. Farther south, Huntsville, AL, netted a daily-record rainfall (2.18 inches) on December 20, boosting its month-to-date precipitation to 10.78 inches. The last time Huntsville received more than 10 inches of rain in a calendar month was May 2003, when 10.43 inches fell. National Weather Summary provided by USDA's World Agricultural Outlook Board. For more information, call (202) 720-2397. Agricultural Summary December 15 - 21, 2008 A blanket of snow stretched across the northern half of the country, providing protection from freezing temperatures to the winter wheat crop. California experienced moderate to heavy rainfall, with the heaviest amounts recorded in southern portions of the State. Temperatures were well below average across the northern, western, and central regions of the country, with warmer than average temperatures limited to central regions. Rains in California halted field activities in some areas while freeze threatened vegetable crops. Vegetable harvest continued as weather permitted, along with cultivation, irrigation, and weed control in small grain fields. Between rains, alfalfa planting was active as cotton harvest was coming to a close and rice field preparation was ongoing. In Arizona, cotton was 85 percent harvested and alfalfa harvest continued. Producers were harvesting multiple vegetables and cantaloupe. Florida's warm, dry weather allowed for land preparations in potato and watermelon fields and harvest of vegetables to meet holiday demands. Sugarcane harvest was ongoing and citrus was in fair to good condition Statewide, as frequent irrigation was necessary due to the lack of precipitation. Citrus harvest was ahead of the previous year as producers were fertilizing, cleaning groves, hedging, spraying for pests, and preparing for further harvest activities. ACCESS TO REPORTS!! 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