CISA's CoCoRaHS Condition Monitoring Newsletter

Check your e-mail because the first edition of the CoCoRaHS Condition Monitoring Newsletter has been released! CISA has launched this newsletter as an additional way to keep in touch with all of the hard-working CoCoRaHS observers in South Carolina who are submitting condition monitoring reports that connect the weather and climate with local environmental conditions.

We hope to use the newsletter to highlight observer efforts by sharing interesting condition monitoring reports or precipitation measurements that are submitted. For example, in the first edition we posted news about the trace amounts of snowfall on November 12th that some of you recorded as well as condition monitoring reports from observers in Jasper, Beaufort, and Richland Counties. So, keep an eye out for the unique things you might see in your area that are influenced by weather and climate. Your post could be the next one we share!

We'll also use the newsletter to provide other interesting facts and information with you such as the article in this month's edition about planting trees in dry conditions. This article was particularly timely given that the first Friday in December is South Carolina's Arbor Day. Tree conditions are another great thing to keep track of when you are considering information to include in your regular condition monitoring reports. 

If you did not receive your copy of the newsletter, leave a comment here and we'll be sure to send it along. 

New Record Low Temperature on Earth Set

Graphic Credit: planetearth.nerc.ac.uk

Despite the cool and wet weather we've been experiencing across the state for the past week, a new record for the coldest ever recorded temperature on Earth was announced yesterday by NASA scientists. And no, it wasn't anywhere near the Carolinas! In our neck of the woods, we scramble for cover when it dips below 30 degrees Fahrenheit and yet, imagine what it would be like if it reached -135.8 F. The record low was measured by satellite in East Antarctica in August of 2010, although it dipped to -135.3 F again in July of this year. That is far from the state record in South Carolina, which is a balmy -19 F recorded in January of 1985 at Caesars Head, although the temperature at nearby Mt. Mitchell in North Carolina reached -34 F in that same month.Very few creatures can survive such harsh temperatures, and humans would last only about three minutes without extreme support in temperatures below -100 F. Researchers who have been to the East Antarctica area before had to use snorkeling gear to breath in heated air from the outside as to not freeze their lungs. For a video about the climatology of the East Antarctic region, visit here. As you venture outside on cold winter mornings in the Carolinas to check your CoCoRaHS rain gauge, keep in mind those chilly temperatures could be a lot worse!

Brrrr....Frozen Precipitation

With temperatures dropping across South Carolina this week, we thought it might be a good time to remind everyone that while frozen precipitation isn't all that common in SC, it is still important to record. Accurate and timely measurements of frozen precipitation can be extremely important to your state climate office as well as local National Weather Service offices, public works departments, school systems, media outlets, and other scientists. CoCoRaHS provides detailed information about measuring both freezing rain and snow with your precipitation gauge. Please note that if you are expecting any type of frozen precipitation in your area, you should remove the funnel and inner measuring tube from your gauge, as this not only allows a more accurate reading of frozen precipitation but it can prevent damage to your gauge. Because frozen precipitation can cause gauges to crack, please make sure to empty out any frozen precipitation once you've completed and submitted your measurements. In the excitement and anticipation that usually accompanies frozen precipitation in the Palmetto State, don't forget to check those gauges!

CISA's CoCoRaHS Rain Gauge is Ready for Action!

CISA team members now have our very own CoCoRaHS rain gauge here on campus at USC in Columbia! Our gauge is located in the Carolina Community Garden on the Preston Green. The garden plots are maintained by different groups around campus, including a group of Geography Department students, several of whom are also CISA team members.

Our gauge was installed earlier this week and we will be taking turns to record the daily precipitation measurements. Not all of us live in homes where we have enough yard space to install a rain gauge. So, having a gauge set up here on campus allows us to be a part of the project as well. We are looking forward to taking measurements and comparing them with other observer stations here in Columbia. We are station number SC-RC-56.

Because we aren’t always around over the weekend, we will be taking advantage of the Multi-Day Accumulation form to record any rain that falls on Saturdays and Sundays if no one is able to check the gauge. The multi-day accumulation form is a great tool that allows observers to continue to keep a good record of rainfall at their gauge station, even when they are out of town or unable to check the gauge for several days. You can find a link to the Multi-Day Accumulation form in the left column of the screen under ‘Enter My New Reports’ when you are logged into your CoCoRaHS account.

Weclome to the 'Cuckoo for CoCoRaHS in the Carolinas' blog!

This blog is part of a project that a team from the Carolinas Integrated Sciences & Assessments(CISA) is conducting to learn more about how citizen scientists can contribute to our understanding of the connections between weather, climate and the environment. We are working with several partners on this project to include the National Drought Information System, the South Carolina State Climatology Office, the North Carolina State Climate Office, as well as state and regional CoCoRaHS coordinators in North and South Carolina.

Volunteers are using tools developed by CoCoRaHS to measure daily precipitation and enter weekly ‘condition monitoring’ reports. CoCoRaHS observers volunteer to measure daily precipitation and enter it into the online CoCoRaHS database to be used by a host of different organizations and agencies such as state climate offices, the National Weather Service, outdoor and recreation businesses, and emergency managers, among many others.

For our project, we are recruiting CoCoRaHS observers to take on the additional task of considering how daily precipitation affects the plants, animals and people in their local community. Observers use the Drought Impact Report form on the CoCoRaHS website to enter brief descriptions of things in their area such as how well their gardens are doing, how high water levels are in nearby rivers, lakes, or streams, or how rainfall, or a lack thereof, might be effecting local businesses. They check the ‘condition monitoring’ box on the Drought Impact Report form to note that their entry is part of a regular series of observations. By entering reports regularly, observers can begin to make connections between their local environment and different weather conditions or seasonal changes.

If you would like to be a part of this project, let us know! Anyone who is a current CoCoRaHS observer or who would like to become one is welcome to participate. Give us a shout if you'd like to learn more.