Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin ISSN: Released December 7, 2010, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). National Weather Summary November 28 - December 4, 2010 Highlights: Unfavorably dry conditions persisted on the central and southern Plains, where a cold spell effectively ended the opportunity for further winter wheat establishment. In fact, thin winter wheat stands on portions of the central and southern Plains contrasted with a well-established, snow-covered wheat crop across the northern Plains and the Northwest. Additional snow fell during the week from the Northwest into the upper Midwest, while a final round of rain virtually eradicated lingering drought in the eastern Corn Belt. By week's end, a colder weather pattern resulted in widespread snow showers downwind of the Great Lakes. Farther south and east, an axis of heavy rainfall stretched along the Appalachian Cordillera. Rainfall totals in excess of 4 inches were most common in the southern Appalachians. In contrast, little or no rain fell in the southern Atlantic region, including much of Georgia and Florida, where drought continued to expand and intensify. Elsewhere, cold, stormy weather prevailed in the Northwest, maintaining favorable conditions for overwintering grains. Cool conditions also covered the Southwest. Early in the week, snow continued to blanket the northern Plains and the Northwest. Daily-record snowfall totals for November 28 included 7.0 inches in Pocatello, ID, and 6.4 inches in Billings, MT. For Pocatello, it was the snowiest November day on record, edging the mark of 6.9 inches set on November 21, 1992. With a monthly total of23.3 inches, Billings completed its second-snowiest November behind only 25.2 inches in 1978. Elsewhere in the West, November snowfall records were broken in locations such as Spokane, WA (25.9 inches; previously, 24.7 inches in 1955), and Ely, NV (20.3 inches; previously, 17.3 inches in 1985). Meanwhile, heavy precipitation shifted into the eastern one-third of the United States. On November 29, both Monroe, LA (1.87 inches), and Jonesboro, AR (1.72 inches), noted daily rainfall records. A multitude of daily-record precipitation totals were reported on November 30, including 4.11 inches in Asheville, NC; 3.93 inches in Huntsville, AL; 3.03 inches in London, KY; 2.95 inches in Pittsburgh, PA; 2.66 inches in Greenville-Spartanburg, SC; and 2.47 inches in Parkersburg, WV. For Pittsburgh, it was the wettest November day on record, topping the mark of 1.89 inches set just 5 days earlier. For London, it was the second-wettest November day on record, behind 3.53 inches on November 12, 1975. A severe weather outbreak accompanied the heavy rain, with approximately three dozen tornadoes spotted on November 29-30 across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. Heavy rain continued into December 1 across the Northeast, where daily-record amounts included 2.91 inches in Williamsport, PA, and 1.43 inches in Rochester, NY. Precipitation ended as snow from the Great Lakes region into the Northeast, with December 1 snowfall reaching 3.4 inches in Rochester and 5.0 inches in Grand Rapids, MI. A few favored locations in Erie County, NY, downwind of Lake Erie, received more than 3 feet of lake-effect snow in a 48-hour period from December 1-3. At week's end, a fast-moving storm deposited a stripe of snow from the northern Plains into the Ohio Valley. Record-setting snowfall totals in North Dakota for December 3 included 5.6 inches in Bismarck and 4.0 inches in Williston. The following day, snowfall records for December 4 reached 5.1 inches in Chicago, IL, and 3.2 inches in Cincinnati, OH. Cold weather persisted early in the week across the West, where Redding (26 degrees F) notched a daily-record low for November 28. In Oregon, Klamath Falls (1 and -1 degrees F) opened the week with consecutive daily-record lows on November 28-29. On November 30, Tucson, AZ (23 degrees F), reported its fourth-lowest temperature of the century, behind 19 degrees F on December 29, 2003, and 20 degrees F on both December 28, 2003, and January 15, 2007. Elsewhere in Arizona, monthly record lows were established on November 30 in locations such as Douglas (11 degrees F; previously, 14 degrees F on November 23, 1957) and Safford (14 degrees F; previously 15 degrees F on November 22, 1979, and November 26, 1992). Daily-record lows for November 30 included -13 degrees F in Milford, UT, and -4 degrees F in Flagstaff, AZ. The following day, Del Rio, TX (26 degrees F), collected a daily-record low for December 1. Just 2 days earlier, McAllen, TX (93 degrees F), had posted a daily-record high for November 29. Warmth prevailed for much of the week in Florida, where daily-record highs included 86 degrees F (on November 29) in Tampa and 84 degrees F (on November 30) in Jacksonville. Toward week's end, warmth briefly returned to the south-central United States, where daily-record highs for December 3 reached 84 degrees F in Childress, TX; 79 degrees F in Tucumcari, NM; and 75 degrees F in Pueblo, CO. Stormy weather persisted across much of Alaska, but abruptly colder conditions held weekly temperatures as much as 15 degrees F below normal across the interior. With 11.6 inches of snow during November, Fairbanks completed its snowiest month since March 2009 (15.5 inches). Barrow's November snowfall reached 20.0 inches, behind only October 1925 (23.2 inches) and October 2008 (21.2 inches) on its all-time list. By December 3, a large low-pressure system over south-central Alaska helped to produce a daily-record snowfall (4.9 inches) in Kotzebue. A day later, Haines (1.40 inches) netted a daily-record precipitation total for December 4. Farther south, wet weather provided additional drought relief in Hawaii. On Kauai, famously wet Mount Waialeale netted a weekly rainfall total of 16.35 inches, aided by a 24-hour sum of 7.87 inches on December 2-3. On the Big Island, Hilo received 4.50 inches of rain during the first 4 days of December, boosting its year-to-date total to 60.66 inches (52 percent of normal). National Weather Summary provided by USDA's World Agricultural Outlook Board. For more information, call (202) 720-2397. Agricultural Summary November 29 - December 5, 2010 Highlights: With the exception of the Great Lakes region, New England, and much of the central and southern Rocky Mountains and Great Plains, average temperatures across the United States were below normal during the week. Most notably, average recordings in portions of Montana and North Dakota dipped to 10 degrees or more below normal. While much of the Southwest, Great Plains, and Four Corners regions were abnormally dry, precipitation was abundant throughout much of the eastern half of the country and along the Northern Tier, with total accumulations reaching or surpassing 200 percent of normal. An early-season cold front brought unseasonably cold temperatures to Florida during the week, with frosts and hard freezes evident as far south as the central Peninsula. Vegetable and strawberry producers covered plants with freeze cloths and ran overhead sprinklers for protection. Elsewhere, sugarcane harvest remained active in the Everglades, while cotton harvest neared completion in the Panhandle. Addtionally, moderate to extreme drought conditions persisted throughout much of the citrus-producing portions of the State. In Louisiana, the sugarcane harvest advanced ahead of both last year and the 5-year average pace. Rice producers were busy preparing levees for next spring's seeding. Sweet potato producers finished harvesting their crop during the week, while vegetable growers continued to harvest greenhouse tomatoes and greens. Despite a hard freeze blanketing much of Texas during the week, winter wheat continued to emerge in the High Plains, with irrigated fields progressing well but dryland fields in need of moisture. Fall planted onions emerged in the Trans-Pecos, while spinach and cabbage harvest was active in South Texas. In the Lower Valley, producers were busy harvesting citrus crops, sugarcane, vegetables. Temperatures in Arizona were mostly below average and precipitation was limited during the week. Cotton harvest advanced to 68 percent complete, well behind both last year and the 5-year average. Alfalfa producers were busy harvesting nearly two-thirds of the State's acreage. Vegetable growers in both central and western portions of the State shipped a variety of crops, including cabbage, cantaloupes, lettuce, and spinach. Wet weather slowed fieldwork in California during the week, but helped to establish recently seeded small grain crops. As fields matured and conditions allowed, cotton producers continued to harvest their 2010 crop. Hay producers were busy planting new alfalfa fields for harvest next year. Orchard and vineyard producers spent the week pruning and performing routine maintenance as conditions allowed following the week's storms. Information Contacts Listed below are the commodity statisticians in the Crops Branch of the National Agricultural Statistics Service to contact for additional information. E-mail inquiries may be sent to nass@nass.usda.gov Lance Honig, Chief, Crops Branch........................... (202) 720-2127 Jacqueline Moore, Head, Field Crops Section................ (202) 720-2127 Suzanne Avilla - Peanuts, Rice........................ (202) 720-7688 Bryan Durham - Hay, Oats.............................. (202) 690-3234 Steve Maliszewski - Cotton, Cotton Ginnings, Sorghum.. (202) 720-5944 Anthony Prillaman - Corn, Proso Millet, Flaxseed...... (202) 720-9526 Nick Schauer - Wheat, Rye............................. (202) 720-8068 Julie Schmidt - Crop Weather, Barley, Sugar Crops..... (202) 720-7621 Travis Thorson - Soybeans, Sunflower, Other Oilseeds.. 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