National Weather Summary, January 13 - 19, 2008
Highlights: The coldest air of the season swept across much of the
nation. Temperatures below 0 degrees F were noted on the central
High Plains (on January 17), as far south as northern portions of
Kansas and Missouri (on January 19), and in parts of the Ohio
Valley (on January 20). Much of the hard red winter wheat crop
from Kansas northward remained under a protective blanket of snow,
although coverage was patchy and shallow in some locations.
Farther east, a portion of the Ohio Valley's soft red winter wheat
crop was briefly exposed to temperatures near 0 degrees F without
the benefit of snow cover. Elsewhere, cold, dry weather prevailed
in the West, except for some light precipitation across the
northern and central Rockies and the Pacific Northwest. In winter
agricultural areas of California and the Southwest, temperatures
fell to near or slightly below the freezing mark (32 degrees F) in
some locations on January 18. However, the overall impact on crops
was expected to be minor. Across the nation's mid-section, some
snow blanketed the northern High Plains; otherwise, organized
snowfall was confined to a band stretching from the east-central
Plains to the Great Lakes region on January 16-17. Meanwhile,
heavy rain fell from coastal Texas to the southern Atlantic States,
while snow fell along and near the middle and northern Atlantic
Coast. During the mid- to late-week period, rare snow fell in the
Gulf Coast States as far south as southern Mississippi and central
Alabama, while two rounds of snow and ice affected parts of the
interior Southeast.
Early in the week, another round of heavy snow fell across New
England, where daily-record totals for January 14 included 12.3
inches in Bangor, ME, 7.0 inches in Boston, MA, and 6.3 inches in
Hartford, CT. Farther south, McAllen, TX, netted 1.25 inches of
rain from January 15-18, representing its first measurable rainfall
since November 25. McAllen's dry spell lasted 50 days from
November 26 - January 14. In addition, McAllen's 1.00-inch
rainfall on January 15 marked its first day with at least an inch
of rain since September 15. By mid-week, snow spread from the
east-central Plains into the upper Midwest. Concordia, KS (5.0
inches), received a daily-record snowfall for January 16, followed
the next day by record totals in locations such as Appleton, WI
(5.9 inches), Marquette, MI (5.7 inches), and Waterloo, IA (3.9
inches). Meanwhile, snow also developed across parts of the
Southeast. In North Carolina, daily snowfall records for January
17 included 1.5 inches in Asheville and 1.0 inch in Charlotte.
Closer to the Atlantic Coast, downtown Charleston, SC (1.36
inches), collected a daily-record rainfall for January 17. Toward
week's end, heavy snow developed in the northern Rockies and
adjacent High Plains, while another round of snow struck the Deep
South. Daily-record snowfall totals for January 19 reached 3.5
inches in Great Falls, MT, and 2.0 inches in Meridian, MS. Near
the Gulf Coast, rainfall records for January 19 included 1.98
inches in Pensacola, FL, and 1.34 inches in New Iberia, LA. A
little more than 60 miles south of New Iberia, a weather station
near Marsh Island recorded 9-foot wave heights and a peak wind gust
to 52 m.p.h.
Progressively colder air overspread much of the nation, resulting
in several mid- to late-week daily-record lows. By January 17,
temperatures fell to near 0 degrees F as far south as northern
Texas, where Dalhart (1 degree F) posted a daily-record low. West
of the Rocky Divide, Alamosa, CO, notched a daily-record low of -32
degrees F on January 17, part of a streak of 12 consecutive days
(January 10-21) when temperatures fell to -10 degrees F or lower.
In New Mexico, Albuquerque (10 degrees F on January 19) reported
its coldest day since January 3, 2007, when it was 6 degrees F.
Farther north, extremely cold air settled across the upper Midwest, where high temperatures remained below 0 degrees F in many locations on January 19. La Crosse, WI (-2 degrees F), and
Rochester, MN (-3 degrees F), both noted sub-zero highs on January
19, representing their lowest maximum temperatures since February 4 and 5, 2007, respectively. By the morning of January 20, La Crosse
(-22 degrees F) logged its coldest reading since December 25, 2000, when it was -26 degrees F.
Dramatically warmer air overspread Alaska, accompanied by
widespread precipitation. In McGrath, temperatures climbed from a
low of -44 degrees F on January 14 to a daily-record high of 43
degrees F on January 19. Similarly, temperatures in Bethel climbed
from -35 degrees F on January 13 to a daily-record high of 42
degrees F on January 19. Weekly snowfall totaled 5.9 inches in
McGrath and 5.1 inches in Bethel. Elsewhere, daily-record snowfall
totals included 5.0 inches (on January 17) in Nome; 4.0 inches (on
January 17) in Fairbanks; and 3.5 inches (on January 19) in
Kotzebue. Weekly snowfall reached 13.1 inches in Nome. Meanwhile, weekly precipitation totaled 2.83 inches (including 6.3 inches of snow) in Juneau. Farther south, cool, mostly dry weather prevailed in Hawaii. No measurable rain fell during the week in locations such as Honolulu, Oahu, and Lihue, Kauai. Through January 19, month-to-date rainfall totaled just 0.03 inch (2 percent of normal)
in Honolulu. However, late-week rainfall topped an inch in a few
windward locations, such as Oheo Gulch, Maui, where 2.76 inches
fell in a 12-hour period on January 18. Elswhere, Kahului, Maui,
posted a low of 54 degrees F on January 16, missing its record low
for the date by 1 degree F.
National Weather Summary provided by USDA's World Agricultural
Outlook Board. For more information, call (202) 720-2397.
National Agricultural Summary, January 14-20, 2008
Oats in California experienced good growth due to recent rains and
moderate temperatures while irrigation and weed control were
ongoing during the week. Alfalfa harvest was ongoing in Arizona
and winter wheat planting was 50 percent complete. In Texas' Trans
Pecos region, winter wheat planting continued but emergence was
slow due to the lack of moisture in the region. Small grains also
struggled across the rest of Texas, due to the lack of rainfall.
Cotton harvest was nearing completion in the southwestern Texas
growing areas.
Harvesting, packing, and further marketing was ongoing across all
winter vegetable-producing states. Herbicide and insecticide was
being applied while spring planting preparations continued. In
California, field preparations were slowed due to storm delays. A
multitude of winter vegetables, herbs, and Asian vegetables were
being harvested in Arizona and California, while in Florida, around
mid-week, overnight frost was evident in the Panhandle. In Texas,
spinach harvest was in full swing. Potato planting was in full
swing in California, Florida, and Texas.
While recent storms in California had producers working to clean up
fruit crop damage, orchard pruning continued. Grape growers made
chemical applications, replanted orchards, cultivated, pruned and
tied vines. Other fruit producers were digging strawberry and
raspberry stock plants. In Florida, strawberry harvest and packing
continued in Bradford and Hardee counties. Dormant sprays were
being applied in established almond and walnut orchards in
California as new almond trees were planted and nut groves were
pruned. Pecan harvest in Texas was nearly complete in the
Cross Timbers and Trans Pecos regions of the State.
Citrus harvest continued in Arizona, California, and Florida as
boxes were packed and marketed throughout the week. In California,
cold nights remained a concern for citrus growers. Cool Florida
mornings and recent rains were beneficial to the citrus crop with