HIGHLIGHTS October 20 – 26, 2019
Highlights provided by USDA/WAOB
Cold air blanketed the Rockies, Plains, and upper Midwest, while warmth returned across the East and Far West. Weekly temperatures averaged at least 10°F below normal at scattered locations across central and southern sections of the Rockies and Plains. In contrast, readings averaged more than 5°F above normal in the southern Atlantic region and coastal California. Dry, breezy weather accompanied California’s warmth, leading to an elevated wildfire threat. In Sonoma County, CA, the Kincade Fire was reported on October 23 and within 5 days had charred more than 66,000 acres of vegetation and had destroyed nearly 100 structures.
Several smaller fires affected other parts of California. Farther east, however, heavy rain fell in conjunction with the interaction between Tropical Storm Olga and a cold front. Olga, a short-lived system that became a post-tropical storm before arriving along the central Gulf coast, contributed to rainfall totals that reached 2 to 4 inches or more in the Tennessee Valley and lower half of the Mississippi Valley, slowing fieldwork and soaking cotton that had not yet been harvested.....MUCH MORE (30 page PDF, charts maps, tables)
The remainder of the eastern half of the country received light to moderately heavy rainfall. In the Southand East, the rain slowed fieldwork but generally benefited pastures and fall-sown crops. In the upper Midwest, however, precipitation maintained a sluggish pace of corn and soybean harvesting. Elsewhere, an early-season snowfall affected Texas’ northern panhandle on October 24, while two rounds of heavy rain—totaling 4 inches or more in many locations—soaked the southeastern Plains. In the latter region, early-week thunderstorms resulted in local wind, hail, and tornado damage....
