We 1 (12-08) Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released December 30, 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 21 - 27, 2008 Highlights: Stormy December weather continued across the West, following a dismal start to the 2008-09 winter wet season. In particular, snow improved Western water-supply prospects and insulated Northwestern winter grains from bitterly cold conditions. Meanwhile on the northern Plains, conditions for livestock remained very difficult due to a substantial snow cover, occasional blowing snow, and frigid weather. Winter wheat remained beneath a blanket of snow on the northern Plains, but largely lacked a protective cover on the central High Plains. However, the condition of exposed wheat will not be known until spring. Farther east, additional snowfall across the northern Corn Belt pushed many totals into record territory for the month of December. Cold, snowy, icy weather, especially across the upper Midwest and the Great Lakes region, maintained stress on livestock and disrupted holiday and rural travel. Elsewhere, two rounds of locally heavy precipitation boosted weekly rainfall total to at least 2 to 4 inches across parts of the Mid-South and the interior Southeast, causing local flooding but further easing long-term drought in the latter region. Late-week flooding also briefly affected parts of the Midwest due to a short-lived period of melting snow and heavy showers. However, rain mostly bypassed Florida, where producers continued to irrigate citrus and other winter crops. Early in the week, a major winter storm followed bitterly cold air into the Northeast, while yet another system arrived in the Northwest. Daily-record lows for December 21 included -25 degrees F in Caribou, ME, and -22 degrees F in Colville, WA. Later in the day, snowfall records for the 21st were established in Northeastern locations such as Portland, ME (14.5 inches); Buffalo, NY (11.3 inches); and Burlington, VT (9.1 inches). Unofficial, storm-total snowfall topped 2 feet in parts of northern New England, including a few locations in Coos County, NH, and Franklin County, ME. Meanwhile, the Northwest continued to reel from a series of storms that dumped 32.5 inches of snow on Pendleton, OR, in a 2-week period from December 13-26. Pendleton received measurable snow on every day during the 2-week span except December 17 and 23, and collected a daily-record sum of 7.4 inches on December 21. Closer to the coast, at least a half-inch of freezing rain glazed parts of the Pacific Northwest, including the National Weather Service office in Portland, OR. For the Portland area in general, which received at least 6 to 12 inches of snow in addition to the ice, it was the most severe storm since January 1980 and the worst December storm since 1968. Officially, 12.4 inches of snow fell from December 20-22 at the Portland airport, which represented the city's worst snow storm since 14.8 inches fell in late-December 1968 and early-January 1969. Between the two storms, bitterly cold weather prevailed from the Plains into the East. On December 22, Sisseton, SD (-22 degrees F), notched a daily- record low, while a high of 33 degrees F in Atlanta, GA, was the lowest maximum temperature at that location in December since 2000 (31 degrees F on December 30). In Chicago, IL, the minimum temperature of -6 degrees F on December 21 represented the lowest reading since February 5, 2007, when it was -10 degrees F. Similarly, Ord, NE (-17 degrees F on December 22), experienced its coldest day since January 16, 2005, when it was -18 degrees F. Farther south, blowing dust reduced the visibility to about 1 mile on December 21 in Lubbock, TX, where a wind gust to 58 m.p.h. was recorded. Nearby gusts were clocked to 71 m.p.h. in Tatum, NM, and 66 m.p.h. near Plains, TX. By December 23, stormy weather engulfed the remainder of the West, resulting in the wettest December day in Tucson, AZ (0.64 inch), since 1994, when 0.68 inch fell on December 26. The northern Plains also experienced a return to wintry weather, where Grand Forks, ND (4.2 inches on December 23), netted a daily-record snowfall. By week's end, December snowfall records had been broken in several dozen locations from the Northwest to the Great Lakes region, including Pendleton, OR (previously, 26.6 inches in 1983); Grand Forks (previously, 27.6 inches in 1918); and Green Bay, WI (previously, 36.4 inches in 1887). Portland, OR (18.9 inches of snow for the month to date at the airport), achieved its second-snowiest month on record, behind only 41.0 inches in January 1950. Previously, Portland's snowiest December occurred in 1968, when 15.7 inches fell. Northwestern locations reporting a rare "White Christmas" included Seattle, WA (snow depth of 4 inches on December 25), and Portland, OR (about 6 inches on the ground). Between 1940 and 2007, the Portland airport had never reported more than a trace of snow on the ground on Christmas morning. On December 25, Salt Lake City, UT (7.2 inches); Pocatello, ID (5.9 inches); and Las Vegas, NV (a trace), reported daily-record snowfall totals. Las Vegas had also received a trace of snow on Christmas Day in 1941 and 1988. In California, Bishop noted its first snowfall on December 25 since 1968. In contrast, daily-record highs for December 25 were tied or broken in locations such as Jacksonville, FL (81 degrees F); Savannah, GA (80 degrees F); and New Orleans, LA (79 degrees F). Farther north, however, the night of December 24-25 featured extremely windy conditions in the Northeast, where wind gusts included 69 m.p.h. at Maine's Matinicus Rock and 62 m.p.h. at both Watertown and Rochester, NY. Late in the week, warmth briefly surged from the Plains into the East, while more stormy weather engulfed the West. On December 25-26, snowfall totals of at least 2 to 3 feet were common across the Intermountain West. For example, unofficial amounts reached 39 inches at Coal Bank Pass, CO, and 34 inches in Alta, UT. Elsewhere in Utah, wind gusts were clocked to 77 m.p.h. in Tooele and 68 m.p.h. in Sandy. In southern California, Ontario (32 degrees F) posted a daily-record low for December 26. Farther east, daily-record highs for December 26 surged to 83 degrees F in both Baton Rouge, LA, and Dallas- Ft. Worth, TX. In the Midwest, rapidly melting snow resulted from highs that climbed to daily-record levels on the 26th in locations such as Des Moines, IA (59 degrees F), and Milwaukee, WI (51 degrees F). The 7 inches of snow that covered Des Moines on Christmas Day was gone just 2 days later, while Milwaukee's 13-inch snow depth on December 25 fell to 2 inches within 3 days. The Raccoon River at Des Moines, IA, which rose 3.51 feet above flood stage on December 28, was one of dozens of Midwestern rivers to experience minor to moderate flooding. Late-week rainfall, which reached daily-record levels for December 27 in locations such as Chicago, IL (1.74 inches), and Grand Rapids, MI (1.51 inches), contributed to river rises. In addition, both Chicago (61 degrees F) and Grand Rapids (60 degrees F) posted daily-record highs for December 27. Among dozens of other record highs for the 27th were readings of 90 degrees F in Corpus Christi, TX; New Orleans, LA (80 degrees F); and Cincinnati, OH (70 degrees F). Torrential rain returned to parts of Hawaii, although large totals were mostly confined to windward sections of Maui and the Big Island. The Big Island also experienced a round of wintry weather, with several inches of snow observed on the highest peaks. The heavy rain arrived on December 26, when Hilo (on the Big Island) endured its wettest December day on record (10.12 inches; previously, 8.65 inches on December 9, 1954). Hilo's weekly rainfall totaled 16.30 inches, lifting its month-to-date sum to 20.03 inches. Farther north, bitterly cold air invaded interior Alaska by week's end, preceded by some heavy snow across the southern part of the state. In Fairbanks, the temperature plunged from 11 degrees F on December 25 to -39 degrees F just 2 days later. In southeastern Alaska, daily-record snowfall totals for December 26 included 17.3 inches in Haines and 15.9 inches in Yakutat, where the weekly sum reached 30.8 inches. National Weather Summary provided by USDA's World Agricultural Outlook Board. For more information, call (202) 720-2397. Agricultural Summary December 22 - 28, 2008 Average temperatures were well below normal for States west of the Mississippi River with the exception of Texas and Louisiana, which were slightly above normal. Temperatures were normal to slightly above normal, elsewhere. Snow covered most of the Pacific Northwest, eastward through Wisconsin and Michigan, and much of New England. In the west, precipitation was focused over the Pacific Coast, the Rocky Mountains, and through the Four Corners region. Minimal to light precipitation fell through the Great Plains. Most of the eastern United States, with the exception of the southern Atlantic States, received measurable precipitation. In California, cold winter storms brought rain and snow across the State, but by week's end, conditions were drier as the storms moved northward. Field work continued as small grain planting was winding down and grain crops were emerging and progressing well. Citrus harvest continued as growers were treating groves. Heavy rain slowed field work in vegetable fields, though much of the planting was complete. Damage from freezing temperatures occurred to some vegetables, though damage had not been assessed, and harvest continued. In Arizona, multiple cool, wet storm systems brought snow and rain across the State. The cotton harvest was reaching its final stages and small grain planting remained active as conditions allowed. In Florida, under mostly dry conditions with the exception of the western Panhandle, pecan harvest was wrapping up while good growth was reported on winter grains. Sugarcane harvest was active in south Florida and potato planting continued in some areas. Vegetable harvest continued and producers were planting, staking, and spraying their fields. The Florida citrus crop experienced a week of warmer than average temperatures, as extremely dry conditions persisted through the citrus region. Grove activity included fertilizing, cleaning up groves, dormant spraying and hedging, as well as harvesting. 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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