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Volume 84, No. 2 January 14, 1997 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE bi U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 7% National Agricultural Statistics Service National Weather Service “ and World Agricultural Outlook Board Total Precipitation (Inches) JAN 5 - 11, 1997 2 to 4 YAN to 2 Oa >.5 tol 0.to1 0 .5 <0.1, CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER, NOAA Computer generated Based on preliminary data HIGHLIGHTS January5 - 11, 1997 ry, cooler weather arrived in California, allowing flood waters to run their course through the northern San Joaquin ee ES and southern Sacramento Valleys. Farther east, more than 2 Temperature Departure & — inches of rain soaked the Southeast, while snow blanketed areas ' 6 Minimum Temperature Maps from the Southwest and southern Plains to the Ohio Valley and National Weather Northeast. Parts of the southern Plains received their first e precipitation since November. Little snow fell on the central Plains, however, leaving some winter wheat unprotected from a late-week cold snap. As sharply colder air overspread areas east of the Rocky Divide after midweek, blizzard conditions again engulfed the North Central States, as wind chills plummeted as low as -60 to -90°F. Downwind of the Great Lakes, squalls dumped locally tremendous amounts of snow. (Continued on page 2) 2 Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin January 14, 1997 (Contifnroum efrdon t cover) Departure of Average Temperature from Normal (°F) Across the East, warmth lingered for a JAN 5 - 11, 1997 final day on Sunday. Among the two dozen daily records were highs of 71°F in Washington, DC, 70°F in Charleston, WV, and 66°F in Pittsburgh, PA. Charleston's temperature finally dipped to the freezing mark on January 6 for the first time since December 26, a span of more than 11 days. In contrast, bitterly cold air cloaked Alaska, where McGrath noted their first of three consecutive daily-record lows at -58°F. Two days later, on January 7, a site near Jim River registered -66°F, while Fairbanks' reading of -51°F was their aur } | 7 {/ | CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER, NOAA lowest since February 3, 1993. By pan-3 | gi Be. : er tae Computer generated isotherms midweek, a series of storms began to si eds Ls ‘ ~ 21 ZL accaiaidiaiiteeaine dislodge Alaska's brutal chill. Kodiak a’ tallied daily-record rainfall on —— Wednesday (1.98 inches) and Thursday o (2.10 inches). In Cold Bay, a wind gust HAWAIIAN IS to 84 mph was clocked on Wednesday | morning, 1 mph shy of their January record. By Friday, McGrath's high of Extreme Minimum Temperature (°F) 42°F was a daily record and represented eis ce hci a 100-degree swing from Tuesday's low. ee ; Poised to deliver the remnants of Alaska's cold wave, an arctic front punched into the northern Plains at midweek, progressing to the East and Gulf Coasts by week's end. By Friday, highs failed to crack the -10°F barrier as far south as Sioux Falls, SD (-12°F). Although only light snow dusted the northern Plains, strong winds and powder from last week's storm resulted in prolonged blizzard conditions. On Saturday, Sheridan, WY (-31°F) and Billings, MT (-23°F) notched their first CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER, NOAA of three consecutive daily-record lows. Computer generoted isotherms In Missouri, Springfield's high of 6°F Based on preliminary dato was their lowest maximum since December 22, 1990. The center of the arctic high-pressure system crossed the | en., \ U.S.-Canadian border at week's end { HAWAIIAN IS. with a pressure of 30.95 inches (1,048 | — millibars). Farther south and east, snow fell in advance of the cold air's arrival. By January 11, monthly snowfall reached 6.9 inches in Amarillo, TX, 8.9 inches in Springfield, MO, and 6.7 inches in Springfield, IL. Precipitation fell for the first time since the last week of November in locations such as Dodge City, KS (0.04 inches), Wichita Falls, TX (0.27 inches), and Oklahoma City, OK (0.38 inches). While snow cover insulated wheat on the southern Plains and in the Ohio Valley, only light precipitation fell in Kansas northwest of a Dodge City-to-Topeka line. Snow spread into the Northeast after midweek, boosting monthly totals to 5.5 inches at Dulles Airport in Virginia, 6.4 inches in Boston, MA, and 18.4 inches in Caribou, ME. Caribou collected a daily-record total (12.5 inches) on Friday. In the Midwest, widespread snow accompanied the cold air's arrival. Snow returned to the southern Plains at week's end. Farther west, early-week snowfall totaled 2.0 inches in Albuquerque, NM and 3.0 inches in El Paso, TX. In the mountains near Tucson, AZ, Mt. Lemmon's snow depth reached 32 inches at midweek. Meanwhile, Great Lake-effect snow showers ended at midweek after dumping as much as 30 inches downwind of Lake Ontario at Montague, NY. However, much more impressive snowfall returned to the Great Lakes region on January 10-13. Montague again hit the jackpot, receiving 91 inches during the event, 40 inches of which fell in 8 hours on Sunday, January 12. Also in New York, Buffalo received 21.4 inches on January 10-11, their fourth greatest 24-hour total. Up to 3 feet fell downwind of Lake Michigan in southwestern Michigan. In the Lake Superior snowbelt, monthly snowfall reached 46.4 inches by January 11 in Marquette, MI. Early- to midweek rainfall in the Southeast resulted in weekly totals of more than 2 inches from the ArKlatex to the southern Appalachians. Totals topped 3 inches in locations such as Macon, GA and New Orleans, LA. Although little rain fell in California, many reservoirs remained at or near capacity. As of December 31, 1996, the State's 155-reservoir system contained 139 percent of its normal volume of water for the date, or 80 percent of capacity. January 14, 1997 Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin National Weather Data for Selected Cities Weather Data for the Week Ending January 11, 1997 TEMPERATURE °F PRECIPITATION | wamencrone TEMP, °F | PRECIP. ff STATES AND Ww STATIONS 3 AVMEIRNAIGMEEUX MHTI RGEHM E < DENFPORARORMMTA ULR E GINR 2IEN4.A -THEOUSRT, PNCOTR.M AL PNCOTR. MAL AVERAGEA VERAGE I05N MCOHRO RE BIRMINGHAM 40 §Dn Eo PARTURE TINOe.oTf, AL, MOBILE 50 MONTGOMERY 45 o2N®OIo% R F MRAOLM D&8ReE cE1S INCE ANCHORAGE 9 roy 3 “iol BARROW -23 FAIRBANKS -24 eecBu -NeE ,c oo- JUNEAU 3 BlBEaERnS,S t I NBCE SSa2BEn1: StI 8NCEa KODIAK 23 NOME 1 PHOENIX 49 PRESCOTT 32 TUCSON ag YUMA ZaATO BaPR VBBRBSL~BBV2BS K55 SLaHAS FORT SMITH i)u a a g 32 o©©OCAcCR eN MD o ABan~oBcO@wE8nn VL3w eEO2we WA o N-D@ ~ooocw.o cweooorc--eonso oooene a LITTLE ROCK BAKERSFIELD a aa EUREKA a FRESNO 43 LOS ANGELES 55 S288ecn.8 REDDING 46 - = w Sre.o eo ooco SACRAMENTO 45 4 So SAN DIEGO 54 cbShoiobai n +nbhoti 8 SAN FRANCISCO 49 8 DENVER 18 GRAND JUNCTION BSNRSLLE2SSSSBRRRGS B: 29 PUEBLO 16 BRIDGEPORT Botr%b sERBS HARTFORD a nu WASHINGTON 40 eooe-~oocoeoacrno~c-o-c~c.a eo. SBBRSeELR woo e WEST PALM BEACH a8 ATLANTA ~N AUGUSTA + MACON SAVANNAH 88R HILO HONOLULU KAHULUI :e oooc@ocaoonooeonn-oonnooeowon-OON=HeCo oo“:ON*aC oOn -O-nCnCcOQ WNoCoOH@o-oe eoowacoomecoeocoaoeonoro.ceco aoo-ncatca@ca#onFo- o. coocooococeocece LIHUE BOISE LEWISTON POCATELLO |B SRRBLRSEVSHBRHSBNR:AS LSSSEEFBRSSRSSRARSIBASEBBR VxLRGKASLESES CHICAGO = MOLINE PEORIA -NoN -":gN o ooccoco QUINCY ROCKFORD no@oono SPRINGFIELD RSRLBLBSRSBSBSRBSSESS,A LASSREBLS2B EVANSVILLE FORT WAYNE INDIANAPOLIS SOUTH BEND DES MOINES SIOUX CITY WATERLOO CONCORDIA e(rPaeeeeerrryereeeeyaeEPeeeee i eee y ey e se e eCNNo O-OO NN e.oo ooooocjeooqo. DODGE CITY GOODLAND o TOPEKA =oa O~,.a n< er WICHITA BOWLING GREEN SKBByiFLa E cEmNKumLA BRRRSLHRBSSR VSSSSKRSLRALSKSRSKSLSSLKSKLKKLSLSKSLLGKGRSSSRKBRBRB:, hBtRi thi BSSSFw==BSSHGE BOo=EHeB w P R BLRRCNESEABBeoVbBBdLOYBaoV tSERnBBLB EKNNSSFBSSiSSTSLscNIRRSNcSSS Su’BS ~EBd rRREhKSSBO LRLLRLBEORBLHeXLBO SSBFLRSHEL FVKSEEEBSS LSSERSSKSSESBSIEVSI SS RBVISSBBBLRh2R,n Pm RuSme BBooRRoN=@ONNNNIRDoO|SNNN NN-Ie :NSN$ cNA No@BO SeeOoEMoSaDe:—nCNROK- qcOeANa C o NReCNeaCNSoeoN-eC A-eo—oe"RC-eoNSo -e;Se: eSoVeeSoeSeIecSoeAoSeeLoeAcSeoL. SLRSSLSLSELKEVRSKASSSRGSESRHFSELCHSSEL Based on 1961-90 normais Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin January 14, 1997 Weather Data for the Week Ending January 11, 1997 TEMPERATURE °F PRECIPITATION ee TEMP, °F | PRECIP. ff STATES AND ‘ STATIONS 58 AVMEARXAIGAMEVU EMR AGE DEPARTURE DEPARTUREIINR E-INAH.T OEUSRT, L~ a PNCOTR. MAL VE .I0N5OMC RHO RE CARIBOU ©FN ROORMM AL PORTLAND &R BALTIMORE SALISBURY BOSTON aoBmm@~~E §L3OW2 AND ”o ooo CHATHAM 88S81 8i i wnimum CA©©©©B+R OMVAEN D ALPENA z DETROIT FLINT axSJ1Ian gNneC ,Ea eS23l?8o 28w8,s 2 GRAND RAPIDS 8 HOUGHTON LAKE 8 LANSING MARQUETTE MUSKEGON SAULT ST. MARIE SIBIBRBS a&N NQ.o o@rQ-oNcoOcjAc oco°$o ALEXANDRIA DULUTH INT'L FALLS MINNEAPOLIS —= FSz, ROCHESTER z enonoo oo$on.:. GREENWOOD JACKSON . 64 MERIDIAN 56 CAPE GIRARDEAU HHaHOHnaH aAweDe! iy bohdObkAwWOebwo59 OKHe COLUMBIA SSFSFSBAR VERRAEGES Yomanvn+SREBSBRBS: 24 KANSAS CITY +aSwbd= eR ERack 1 SAINT LOUIS REEVBYNSKA SANSRRRVSSESSSSSSa S, SPRINGFIELD tx 28s 37 BILLINGS as 80 GLASGOW SANeoery 93 GREAT FALLS aS “ HAVRE Q 70 HELENA — @ 92 KALISPELL g 1 68 MILES CITY Sseee2ues MISSOULA 2@ GRAND ISLAND LINCOLN 8&8 NORFOLK Suuws NORTH PLATTE £2 ) OMAHA BoeisBs SCOTTSBLUFF baN VALENTINE 8 ELY awe LAS VEGAS oo RENO g_ WINNEMUCCA CONCORD ATLANTIC CITY cCKNOHNNHKRo F= NWo ; oNc @o:Noo coeoaM oooooc-oco-cocooocccoococoooococnooceeco ceno ALBUQUERQUE iAen aenw--=s-bbedbhohbonoi CLOVIS ROSWELL ALBANY BINGHAMTON BUFFALO NEW YORK ROCHESTER SYRACUSE BIRsB8, = = GREENSBORO 88 HATTERAS NEW BERN RALEIGH BRAASKEBBEBSBYEBSERSEFRSB8VBBRBVBSSRVSRALRBSVRESBSEER ZVSSSFSRSSRKRVSKSKSRGKRKLEKRKASSRRTKBLSVERFSRSSBRSLBKLLKSSIBLS WILMINGTON BISMARCK RIEAARRBRSSSBaSmaRnEsS-SoLOS4SrETSoaSnRw oadn FARGO oa GRAND FORKS WILLISTON @a o ree AKRON-CANTON e CINCINNATI CLEVELAND COLUMBUS o+an DAYTON SPHRtR FREBSs aB EaSrSS ERBVSBRVBRBSSVBSERSGIUAIGS|AG BBRKS28RSRi2SLFn2LISm8 GBoK e8BeemoBeS9oL eooERL KWR@oONNONNNNDNNNMENNNNEASONNNNONeNNNNNN NWNNSN SD Nc NNNNNNO A NOR c C OSoVTDoNTMNeOONIooaeHON.Lee GNe eHOOe So T SOMeo LA c =ZoNLNeAoYoLNeNIAoS*eMo2aABoSAOReeVROoNeNGoVoAASeAToNIeeANc2WLVecS ReoASeReYAeHoScDoeLSSeAAceeYSeL,Soo eAo SHeoSeoBRe:oe eHoeeeAoeceSoeoeLeeacSeoeoSeoeoSeoeoSceeoLeceSoeceSeeeoLoeeoE RSLR Based on 1961-90 normals January 14, 1997 Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin Weather Data for the Week Ending January 11, 1997 TEMPERATURE °F PRECIPITATION : Lena STATES TEMP, °F PRECIP. f AND STATIONS 33 AIN,. &= 2 AVMEIRNAIGMEEUX MHTI RGEHM EEX LTORWE ME DENFPORARORMMTA ULR E DENFPORARORMMTA ULR E NPCOTR.I PNOCRTM.A L AVERAGE 0IN5OMC OHR R E TOLEDO 28 GINoRl fRE eATeEtS T , YOUNGSTOWN wo W©oE§ ?SIENI K ILTYO TAL, ° Ny 8 wOoLw oI NCH OKLAHOMA CITY 36 . Sau ™M™* O 1ROER TULSA 35 VRIs ASTORIA 49 _&SBD 3S%BeE cStI %NCE Sv&&&&Ea SnItN CE 28B= 8i inmum BURNS 40 s 48 47 B8B 48 48 B2BRR2 #22RRSKS 37 & a seas88 3 @eamae b@mona+ OCeeOCO8C00§ OM20 A08N N@@N~BDS~EEA = SLB ZOO2VWeAE N—@ D aogcenoooef,ac oaooo-oN-osc ooNneo. |# 4 a4 36 % 4 58 53 ea aanynneo,o -oc,. 54 48 BSRPVBra«oB: 8 = QD B-ennNoa-o@! 1 BBFRSSRN=R aS EISEKRKSBSBTan:E °o S E 21 a ] 12 =o 44 &a os 42 39 @@ en-2oe8 K) ) aoa K 4) 4 53 LsaCsssTstV T 62 57 54 2ae 46 SRERSRe ay | 54 53 aehooanNtvaebeboodnso 3 3% o&s =o 41 51 53 42 HKOPHHA W: OOWWONNANAHO=|ONNABWANEWREN =) n. ooocooowooooconmnrocoooeonnooooc-~: 39 wv SEL2LPFIBWS*ENVSIE #0 a 51 = 48 8 47 46 v7 oOne aawmwr-hOHNG -~aaeOno0qo8Qn- n-r-+--=a-n n 38 % 42 % 38 RVeSsoLSR o KRaB RVVRSBES EBBBVBwsBESBSoASRo VBRRESHER S AEBGERESB SV&SSVBVSBSSSRS:SS LABLREEB RRIVEGBRBSRRASESKEBSEBRBBEVSVBVBBEVSlE BSARBSLBSS 22 nsQN oQo oooo. 21 QSHASARL,SLE EaZRBH SS NVSSABAALZSKRLLSLSSSSISESHROSELERSRSSTIAS 23 27 _ 20 21 = 22 = 2 * wttbaB8 RRBbVsIEIREHBBaBBs a eodbbvan 2 er-e--8e2n nnn use+S BSrZDeeotrtoo+4+ow @EHAHSK@aNNVAHEV m NNNaA NNeO hH,T MANANNGDANSA@AWVWHOTARARHOCHTAVAABHROVNNVNVN 2 E+S;SSE BB RBRBR\ RREBBSSEL BPRsSLe:S gsAeBL RP2SeSeeeZE’ eegSe B RVB eLS SoeLe-SeNLceSoooK=oSnoKwe,Loe nSoZ.G SSSL LKSSRISSSSKSFSLLKRERKIVSEGSSSSBLLSl Based on 1961-90 normais Note: These data are preliminary and subject to change. In the past, precipitation totals from a number of stations have been incomplete. Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin January 14, 1997 National AgriculturalSummary = © January 6 - 12, 1997 HIGHLIGHTS Sub-zero temperatures and windy conditions over the the Pacific Coast brought welcomed relief to producers central and northern Great Plains threatened small in low-lying areas who were still assessing flood grain fields that lacked adequate snow cover. Much damage. Dry conditions in Florida's citrus belt were below-normal temperatures covered western and diminished by late-week rains, but many groves were central Kansaso n January 11-13, where gaps in the still irrigated to maintain good growth. Harvest of the snow cover left some winter wheat vulnerable to freeze Sunshine State's early- and mid-season citrus was damage. Wheat in the southern Great Plains, however, active, while windy conditions stalled some vegetable was unharmed by the chilly weather. Dry weather over harvest progress in southern Florida. SNOW DEPTH (Inches) January 13, 1997 642 1 1g 68 5 7 1112 94 6,G 1 26 2! 0 16418 |1 42" = ‘ x aii oe 300 tg 12 Experimental product based on preliminary data NOAA/JUSDA JOINT AGRICULTURAL WEATHER FACILITY January 14, 1997 Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin 1996 Weather Review Highlights in 1996 included record wetness over much of the since 1899. Florida sustained its worst freeze of the year on country, especially along both coasts; severe cold and snow over February 5, but crops escaped major damage. Bitter cold in the central and eastern regions early in the year; major drought across Pacific Northwest in early February gave way to mild, rainy the southern Plains during the first half of the year; mostly weather, contributing to major flooding in Oregon and Washington favorable growing weather across the Corn Belt this summer; a around February 6-9. Floodwaters were the highest since 1964 in very active tropical storm season along the eastern seaboard; and Portland, Oregon. damaging storms and floods along the West Coast near the beginning and end of the year. For the year as a whole, most of Spring (March - May) the country was cooler and wetter than normal (figs. 1 and 2). Stagnant high pressure aloft over the West coupled with troughing Winter (December 1995 - February 1996) over the East caused precipitation to target the Corn Belt and miss areas to the west, resulting in continued drought over the southern The winter was wet and mild across the Rockies and Pacific States, Plains and more stormy weather over the the Midwest and East. unusually dry over the central and southern Plains and Southwest, Precipitation totals reached only 50 percent of normal from and cold and stormy across the northern Plains and eastern third of southern California eastward to Texas, while amounts exceeded the country. The dryness over the hard red winter wheat region in 150 percent of normal across much of the Northwest, Corn Belt, the Plains States continued the pattern that began during the and mid-Atlantic regions. A change in the circulation pattern autumn of 1995. Total winter precipitation failed to exceed 1 inch contributed to drought relief in the central Plains, but unrelenting over much of Nebraska, Kansas, west Texas, and New Mexico. rainfall and persistent coolness to the east slowed corn and soybean planting and development. The spring of 1996 was one of the coldest on record from the Table 1. Temperature/Precipitation Rankings northern Plains to the Northeast, with temperatures averaging as for 1996 much as 6°F below normal in the Dakotas. In contrast, readings Based on the Period 1895-1996 averaged 2 to 4 °F above normal across the Southwest. 1 = Driest/Coldest, 102 = Wettest/Hottest Precipitation totaled less than 2 inches over southern Texas and the - Region —_—s |: Precipitation | Temperature western Texas Panhandle, as well as Arizona and New Mexico. Northeast 102 39 Brownsville, Texas tallied its driest January-May on record (0.79 East North Central 64 9 inches). Central 80 11 Freezes on March 7-10 and 21-23 damaged wheat, ground crops, Southeast 69 19 and tree blooms, including peaches from Texas to South Carolina. West North Central 93 15 Monthly temperatures averaged as much as 6°F below normal over South 40 48 the Southeast. Southwest 46 99 Heavy rain began to cause flood problems during April in the Northwest 73 lower Ohio Valley, where over 8 inches fell. Totals from late April West 97 to late June reached 12 to 16 inches or more across the Midwest. National ee 96 49 Severe thunderstorms contributed to the ample amounts, with many storms delivering hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes. On April 19, the Illinois record for the most tornadoes in 1 day was broken Frequent snowstorms, headlined by the "Blizzard of '96" on when 30 separate storms were sighted. Damaging twisters also January 6-8, characterized the winter over the East, with locations struck Arkansas in the Ft. Smith area on April 21 and Kentucky on from the Great Lakes region to the mid-Atlantic and New England May 28. States recording the snowiest season of the century, if not for all time. Wet, mild weather after the snowfalls of early January led to May saw the hottest weather of the year for many places east of the massive snowmelt, producing severe flooding across the eastern Rockies, as temperatures soared into the 90's and 100's on May 16- seaboard on January 19-24. 23 from Texas to New England, breaking scores of daily records and more than a dozen monthly records. A severe cold wave peaked on February 2-5, setting numerous monthly and all-time records from the upper Midwest into the Summer (June - August) Southeast. The central Plains’ winter wheat was exposed to readings as low as -20°F on February 3. For the western Great The circulation pattern changed remarkably little in the winter, Lakes region, this was the most severe short-term cold outbreak spring, and summer, with troughing over the East steering a steady Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin January 14, 1997 Departure of Average Temperature from Normal (°F) Annual 1996 CLIMATE PREDICCENTTEIR,O NNOA A Computer generated isotherms Based on preiminardayt a progression of Canadian air masses toward the central and eastern 90°F during June-August. Across the western Corn Belt, parts of the country. Ridging aloft over the West kept conditions temperatures averaged 2 to 4°F below normal for the 3 months. hot and dry from the Continental Divide to the Pacific coast. Above-normal rainfall relieved drought from Nebraska south to Tropical storms and hurricanes contributed to the unusually wet Texas and west to New Mexico, but areas from Montana to the year across the East. Four named storms struck the U.S. mainland Great Basin recorded totals mostly under 50 percent of normal. this year, a fifth crossed Puerto Rico, and three other Atlantic Temperatures averaging some 2 to 4°F above normal across this storms and one Pacific storm contributed to rains over the region intensified dry conditions, resulting in a record year for continental United States. wildfires. As of September 1, fires had consumed 5.67 million acres across the continental 49 States, establishing 1996 as the Hurricane Bertha hit the North Carolina coast on July 12 bearing worst fire year in 20 years of records. winds exceeding 100 mph. The storm's remnants dropped 2-6 inches of rain in a swath up to the Northeast. The summer featured numerous bouts of heavy rains from the Midwest to the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, as well as the lower Autumn (September - November) Mississippi Valley. Summer rainfall exceeded 16 inches in some areas. Especially noteworthy was the large thunderstorm complex over the Midwest during July 15-19. Flooding resulted from Hurricane Fran was the most destructive hurricane of the year, torrential rains over northern Illinois on July 17-18. Aurora, striking North Carolina on September 5 with gusts near 120 mph. Illinois set a State record when 16.91 inches of rain fell in 24 The storm brought up to 9 inches of rain to the State and led to hours. major river flooding from the Carolinas to Pennsylvania. The National Hurricane Center estimated the final death toll at 34 and Days with high temperatures were few and far between from the damage total at $3.2 billion. Later, Hurricane Hortense crossed central States to the east coast. For the first time since 1915, Puerto Rico on September 10 with 80-mph winds and rainfall Portland, Maine did not see readings above 86°F during the totals up to 23 inches. Hurricane Lili did not strike land, but the summer. In Charleston, West Virginia, the mercury failed to reach storm contributed to the unusually high rainfall totals accompanying a "nor'easter" on October 19-22. Areas from New January 14, 1997 Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin Percent of Normal Precipitation Annual 1996 CLIMATE PREDICCENTTEIR,O NNOA A Based on pretrminadrayt a Figure2 Jersey to Maine recorded 5-10 inches of rain, and locally higher California, and Nevada. Some locations in the Sierra Nevada amounts were noted. Over Maine, up to 19.19 inches fell. totaled more than 40 inches of precipitation for the month. Snowmelt from mild weather at the end of the year contributed to Autumn was wet and cool for most of the country. Canadian air the flooding, which became especially acute in northern California masses brought record cold and snow to the country in November. by the first week of the new year. Extremely heavy lake-effect snows accompanied a polar blast on November 9-14, with over 50 inches reported downwind of Lake Heavy rain and snow also contributed to record annual Erie. A cold wave on November 24-26 sent temperatures precipitation totals over the Northeast in December. Back-to-back plummeting across the northern Plains. Aberdeen, South Dakota snowstorms in early December caused enormous damage to trees recorded -24°F on the 26th, exceeding the old daily record by 8°F. and powerlines in New England, leaving more than 400,000 utility customers without power. The "Pineapple Express" jet stream transported huge amounts of moisture from Hawaii to the West Coast during November. Several cold outbreaks and blizzards threatened livestock and Honolulu, Hawaii recorded 18.58 inches of rain in only 2 weeks winter crops this month. A December 18-19 cold spell (November 3-16). Heavy rain and snow caused floods and accompanied a blizzard in the northern Plains that had wind chills mudslides in the Pacific Northwest during November 17-20. drop to -30°F to -50°F. In Texas, Brownsville's reading of 29°F was their lowest in 6 years. Thermometers dipped well below 0°F as far south as western Kansas and the plains of Colorado on the December 19th. A second outbreak brought subzero reading to the Plains States on December 25-26, including a low of -36°F at Glasgow, December featured record rain and snow across the Northwest and Montana. California. Nonstop heavy precipitation during the last week of the year resulted in major flooding for Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin January 14, 1997 PRECIPITATION SUMMARY Annual 1996 PRECIPITATION PRECIPITATION RECIPITATION = STATES STATES STATES AND AND AND STATIONS STATIONS STATIONS |D EPARTURE BIRMINGHAM MUSKEGON PROVIDENCE 45.64 HUNTSVILLE WHITE LAKE CHARLESTON 51.05 MOBILE DULUTH COLUMBIA 49.91 MONTGOMERY INT'L FALLS GREENVILLE §1.27 JUNEAU MINNEAPOLIS 5=§9g pxnom ABERDEEN 18.55 KODIAK ROCHESTER a S = Rx HURON 20.08 FLAGSTAFF ST. CLOUD RAPID CITY 17.28 PHOENIX JACKSON SIOUX FALLS 23.86 TUCSON MERIDIAN $33 BRISTOL 40.85 FORT SMITH TUPELO CHATTANOOGA 53.65 LITTLE ROCK COLUMBIA KNOXVILLE 470 BLUE CANYON KANSAS CITY MEMPHIS §2.10 EUREKA ST. JOSEPH NASHVILLE 47 SACRAMENTO ST. LOUIS ABILENE 24.40 ALAMOSA SPRINGFIELD AMARILLO 19.56 CO. SPRINGS BILLINGS AUSTIN 31.88 DENVER BUTTE BEAUMONT §7.29 GRAND JUNCTION GLASGOW BROWNSVILLE 26.61 PUEBLO GREAT FALLS CORPUS CHRIST! 6.13 BRIDGEPORT HELENA DALLAS-FT. WORTH 33.70 HARTFORD KALISPELL DEL RIO 18.24 WILMINGTON MILES CITY EL PASO 6.81 WASHINGTON MISSOULA GALVESTON 42.28 DAYTONA BEACH GRAND ISLAND HOUSTON 54.11 FT. LAUDERDALE HASTINGS LUBBOCK 18.65 FT. MYERS KEARNEY MIDLAND 14.96 JACKSONVILLE LINCOLN SAN ANGELO 20.45 KEY WEST NORFOLK SAN ANTONIO 30.98 LAKELAND NORTH PLATTE VICTORIA 37.41 MELBOURNE OMAHA WACO 31.95 MIAMI SCOTTSBLUFF WICHITA FALLS 28.90 ORLANDO VALENTINE SALT LAKE CITY 16.18 PENSACOLA ELKO BURLINGTON 34.47 RUSKIN ELY DULLES AIRPORT 40.24 SARASOTA LAS VEGAS LYNCHBURG TAMPA RENO NORFOLK ATHENS WINNEMUCCA RICHMOND ATLANTA CONCORD HANFORD AUGUSTA NEWARK SAND POINT COLUMBUS ALBUQUERQUE SEATTLE MACON ALBANY SPOKANE SAVANNAH BINGHAMTON YAKIMA HILO BROOKHAVEN LAB BECKLEY HONOLULU BUFFALO CHARLESTON POCATELLO CENTRAL PARK ELKINS CHICAGO ROCHESTER HUNTINGTON MIDWAY AIRPORT SYRACUSE GREEN BAY MOLINE ASHEVILLE LACROSSE PEORIA CHARLOTTE MADISON ROCKFORD GREENSBORO MILWAUKEE ROMEOVILLE RALEIGH-DURHAM CASPER SPRINGFIELD WILMINGTON CHEYENNE EVANSVILLE BISMARCK LANDER FT. WAYNE DICKINSON RIVERTON INDIANAPOLIS FARGO SHERIDAN SOUTH BEND JAMESTOWN SAN JUAN BURLINGTON MINOT CEDAR RAPIDS WILLISTON DES MOINES AKRON-CANTON DUBUQUE CINCINNATI SIOUX CITY CLEVELAND WATERLOO COLUMBUS CONCORDIA DAYTON GOODLAND MANSFIELD DODGE CITY TOLEDO TOPEKA YOUNGSTOWN WICHITA OKLAHOMA CITY JACKSON TULSA LEXINGTON ASTORIA LOUISVILLE BURNS PADUCAH EUGENE BATON ROUGE MEDFORD LAKE CHARLES PENDLETON NEW ORLEANS PORTLAND SHREVEPORT SALEM CARIBOU TILLAMOOK PORTLAND ALLENTOWN BALTIMORE ERIE BOSTON HARRISBURG WORCESTER PHILADELPHIA GRAND RAPIDS PITTSBURGH LANSING SCRANTON MARQUETTE WILLIAMSPORT Based on 1961-90 normals.