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 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.
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.
