According to today's Weather and Crop Bulletin report of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the nation’s mid-section, including the parched central Plains, experienced dry weather, but significant precipitation fell in parts of the western and eastern U.S.
The Western precipitation provided a significant snowpack boost in the Cascades and Sierra Nevada, with heavy showers occurring closer to the Pacific Coast. Meaningful snow extended inland across the northern Rockies, while late-week precipitation dampened parts of Arizona and New Mexico.
Meanwhile, Southern weekly rainfall locally totaled 2 to 4 inches or more, accompanied by a rash of severe thunderstorms—which spawned as many as four dozen tornadoes from Louisiana to Georgia—on November 29-30. Soaking rain also fell in the Northeast but bypassed the southern Atlantic region. Elsewhere, mild weather across much of the South, East, and lower Midwest contrasted with chilly conditions in most areas from the Pacific Coast to the northern half of the Plains and upper Midwest.
Weekly temperatures averaged more than 10°F below normal from Washington to western North Dakota, while readings averaged at least 5°F below normal in a broad area from the northern half of the Pacific Coast to the upper Midwest.
For the full USDA report for Dec. 6, click here