nd-crop-weather STATE NORTH DAKOTA CROP, LIVESTOCK & WEATHER REPORT RELEASE DATE, MONTH ENDING DATE Released: March 7, 2005 For Month Ending: March 6, 2005 ISSUE ND-CW1005 AGRICULTURAL SUMMARY General: Mild winter conditions prevailed during the month, according to North Dakota Agricultural Statistics Service. Good weather allowed farmers to market grain and begin preparations for spring fieldwork. Producers were busy with calving and lambing. On average, statewide, there were 0.9 inches of snow cover on March 6, compared to 10.8 inches last year on February 29 and 2.7 inches last month. The northeast district reported the most snow cover with an average of 2.9 inches followed by 1.1 in the north central district. The south central district reported no snow cover. Several reports of wind erosion were noted due to the lack of snow cover. County and secondary roads were rated 96 percent open and 4 difficult. Road conditions were 81 percent dry, 6 icy, 3 drifted and 10 muddy. FIELD CROPS REPORT Crops: As of March 6, snow cover protection for alfalfa was rated 86 percent poor, 13 adequate and 1 excellent. This compares to 13 percent poor, 59 adequate and 28 percent excellent on February 29 a year ago. Alfalfa and winter wheat producers were concerned with the reduced snow cover. LIVESTOCK, PASTURE AND RANGE REPORT Livestock: Mild weather conditions during the month helped maintain feed resources. Cattle conditions were rated 3 percent poor, 11 fair, 69 good and 17 excellent. Sheep conditions were rated 1 percent very poor, 2 poor, 11 fair, 66 good and 20 excellent. Hay and forage supplies were rated 4 percent very short, 14 short, 74 adequate and 8 surplus. WEATHER SUMMARY Weather: The month of February brought warmer than average temperatures across most of North Dakota. Many locations saw temperatures anywhere from 3-9 degrees above seasonal normals. The warmest areas were in western and central North Dakota. With a lack of snow cover and a persistent west-northwesterly flow off the Rocky Mountains, temperatures were able to warm significantly. Many western locations set or tied record high temperatures during the month. The coolest temperatures occurred in the northeastern part of the state, where average monthly temperatures were at or slightly below seasonal normals. With a deep snow pack in place, temperatures were not able to warm as much as in the west. The warmest period occurred during the first half of the month. A strong push of cold air moved through on the 15th, cooling temperatures down to below seasonal normals for the latter half of the month. Precipitation across the state averaged below normal in many areas. No major storms occurred during the month. Snowfall was also below normal for almost all areas, with the exception of some areas in east central and southeast North Dakota, where snowfall was at or slightly above seasonal normals. Outlook, March: The warmer than average pattern looks to continue into the month of March. Colder than average temperatures, however, can be expected during the second week of the month. A fairly potent cold front will move across the state on the 6th and bring below average temperatures to most areas, especially in the east where there is still snow on the ground. Look for minor chances of precipitation through the midmonth, as a few weak disturbances move through the state in the continuous northwest flow pattern. No major storms are foreseen through the 3rd week of the month. The active storm track remains across the southern plains and into the eastern seaboard. A shift in the pattern may result in warmer and wetter conditions for the state towards the end of the month. Average precipitation for the month looks to have equal chances of being above or below seasonal normals. Spring will officially arrive on March 20 at 6:33 AM CST. WEATHER INFORMATION TABLES TEMPERATURE, February 1-28, 2005 District & Stations Temperature High Low Average Depart/Norm 1/ (Degrees F) NORTHWEST 47 -10 21 7 Bowbells NA NA NA NA Williston 52 -8 25 9 Mohall 44 -14 17 4 Minot 46 -10 21 9 NORTH CENTRAL 42 -14 14 6 Baker 42 -12 16 6 Bottineau 42 -17 13 5 Rugby NA NA NA NA NORTHEAST 41 -16 12 1 Cando 40 -15 12 -3 Cavalier 42 -16 13 2 Forest River 40 -15 14 3 Grand Forks 42 -16 13 3 Langdon 37 -16 11 3 St. Thomas 43 -16 11 0 WEST CENTRAL 55 -7 23 6 Hazen 59 -7 23 7 Turtle Lake 52 -9 21 6 Watford City 55 -7 25 5 CENTRAL 46 -13 16 3 Carrington 47 -8 18 6 Harvey 50 -10 19 6 Jamestown 50 -6 20 5 Robinson 50 -8 19 7 Streeter 51 -7 19 4 EAST CENTRAL 44 -9 17 5 Dazey 46 -6 18 6 Fargo 44 -9 18 6 Hillsboro 41 -12 16 4 SOUTHWEST 63 -5 27 8 Beach 61 -3 28 9 Bowman 67 -1 27 8 Dickinson 60 -6 26 7 Hettinger 64 -10 27 7 SOUTH CENTRAL 59 -6 23 8 Mandan 57 -7 24 8 Linton 60 -6 23 8 SOUTHEAST 51 -6 20 6 Edgeley 53 -3 21 6 Oakes 54 -4 20 7 Wyndmere 48 -9 20 6 1/ Normal is the 1961-90 average. NA=Not Available. Weather data collected from NDAWN stations and compiled by UND Aerospace Regional Weather Information Center. CONTACT INFORMATION North Dakota Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA Cooperating with: NDSU Extension Service, Farm Service Agency, ND Ag Weather Network (NDAWN) and UND Aerospace Regional Weather Information Center FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: David Knopf, Director North Dakota Agricultural Statistics Service NDSU, IACC Bldg., Room 448 P.O. Box 3166 Fargo, ND 58108-3166 Telephone: (701) 239-5306 E-Mail: nass-nd@nass.usda.gov Internet: http://www.nass.usda.gov/nd/