Condition Monitoring Star of the Week, Feb 16th - 22nd, Craven County, NC

The Condition Monitoring Star of the Week was submitted on February 22nd by observer with station number NC-CN-31 in Craven County, NC.  We chose this report because of the variety of information it offers, especially that regarding impacts to people.  This type of information is not usually featured in observers' reports but equally important.  Can you think of ways weather affects people in your area?  Think about how businesses, roadways and transportation, tourism, electricity are affected by weather or how your neighbors respond to weather impacts. Opportunities abound! Thank you NC-CN-31 for offering us some great ideas on how to enhance condition monitoring reports by including impacts to people! Keep up the good work!


 Categories

Agriculture
Business and Industry
Energy
Plants and Wildlife
Society and Public Health
Tourism and Recreation

UGH ! What a Week! We got hit on Monday night with several hours overnight of freezing rain. This caused SO much tree damage that it was equal to the damage caused by Hurricane Irene some years ago. Especially the evergreen trees suffered. EVERYTHING was encrusted in a layer of ice that was just about 1/2 inch thick. The branches broke, falling onto other branches that were barely capable of holding their own weight. That was (is) our property. The area full of pine tree farms suffered too. Electricity was knocked out. We were out for about 12 hours (thank goodness for a generator and enough propane to run it). The electricity was restored overnight on Tuesday, and was out again on Wednesday, probably while more lasting repairs were made. Not all in the area were out - just us few "lucky" ones. (ha) Ice on the grass was like little knife blades - dog did NOT want to go out. Driveways were worse than roadways as the day progressed. Friends came to get water so that they could provide water to their kenneled hunting dogs - theirs had frozen solid. And so the week was... temperatures just making "melt the ice a bit" so that it could refreeze in sheets. NOT a fun week. Schools on delays - and closings; businesses closed. BUT.. then, we did not have what the Northeast had; nor did we HAVE to travel anywhere during these periods - so we were much more fortunate than many were last week We did feed our honeybees - although they seem not to have been feeding on our offerings - having been bringing in pollen (and nectar?) and using up their honey stores. They DO get out when those temps are above 50 and anything (like dandelions) are blooming.

Condition Monitoring Star of the Week, Pickens County, SC

 Our Condition Monitoring Star of the Week was emailed to us on February 13th by observer with station number SC-PC-1.  We chose this report because the observer shows how consistent reporting can lead to valuable climate information. This observer has consistently reported precipitation at their location for at least 12 years. As a result, they are able to make calculations that gives decision makers and scientists an understanding of December conditions at their location and how they've changed over the years.  The observer has also kept track of temperatures at their location making this an awesome project that's fun, educational and valuable.  Thanks you SC-PC-1 for showing us the importance of consistent reporting!  Keep up the good work!

Report 
After a very cold start, temperatures rallied during the second half of the month resulting in a very normal month - temperature wise.  Precipitation, too, was about normal at nearly 5 inches.  However our minimum temperature of 8° (Jan 8th) was the second coldest temperature I record since we've lived here (last year's 6° January minimum was our coldest).

No hydrology problems.

Weather Summary for December 2014  (12-year average precip. based on period 2003-2014)

Average Max/Min  52.2° / 30.7°  (mean = 41.4°)    [almost identical to KGSP]

Warmest:             68°  (20th & 21st)

Coldest:                 8°  (8th)

    

Precip.:                 4.91 inches    (0.12" above 12-year average)

YTD precip.:         4.91 inches.   (0.12" above 12-year average)

trailing 12 mos:   50.40 inches    (9.20" below 12-year average)

#days min. =< 32: 16;  season-to-date:  31
#days =>.01" rain:  10
#days w/snow:  0 season-to-date 0     [some sleet pellets mixed with rain during brief shower on Jan. 29.  Temp. was near 50° at that time.]
Thunderstorm days: 0

How To Make Recording Precipitation Fun & Convenient

    Happy Valentine's Day! In a recent blog post we touched on the role of consistent precipitation reporting in the CoCoRahs initiative, as well as its importance to decision makers and scientists. It is clear that reporting days with measurable precipitation is key. However, days with zero precipitation are equally important for consistent reporting, and are sometimes overlooked. It is important to remember that when viewed together, recording for days with and without precipitation allow us to better understand long-term weather patterns. That is why it is great to capture a recording for everyday if you can, even the days without any precipitation.
    Sometimes it is hard to get to the CoCoRaHS site on a daily basis. The days can get busy, or maybe you aren’t near a computer on a particular day. Don’t despair! We have helpful solutions that can work with your day to day routine and still allow you to record days with zero precipitation as well.

1. Keep a weather journal!

    Weather journals can be fun, and if you have an affinity for the traditional pen and paper this is a great option. You can keep up with your daily entries in the journal, and record them later on the CoCoRaHs website at a more convenient time.  Additionally, your recordings do not necessarily have to be made in an actual journal. Your journal can consist of a wall calendar, notes on your refrigerator, recordings in a daytimer, or any other method that works for you.



“Keeping records enhances the pleasures of the search and also the chance of finding meaning in these events.” - Aldo Leopold


2. Texting 

    You can simply send yourself a daily text for a basic solution. It may sound silly, but it is straightforward and easy. Send a text message to your own number with the recording for a specific day. Many phones will automatically include the date and time with each individual text. Once you are ready to enter the recordings on CoCoRaHs, you can look at past individual texts all grouped together under one text stream.


3. Smartphone apps for note taking

    If you have a smartphone and want a slightly more sophisticated option, there are many apps you can use to make precipitation recordings. The iPhone has a note taking app called “Notes”, which is already conveniently installed on the iPhone. There are also more advanced solutions for note taking apps that can be downloaded from respective phone ‘app stores’. Both Evernote and Simplenote are popular apps and work on a wide variety of smartphones.

Simplenote

Evernote

    We hope you find our tips helpful. If you have suggestions or other methods that work for you feel free to share them with us. Keep up the great work and be sure to record zero for days with no precipitation, thanks!

Condition Monitoring Star of the Week, February 2nd - 8th, Wake County, NC

 The Condition Monitoring Star of the Week was posted on February 6th by observer with station number NC-WK-6 in Wake County, NC.  We chose this report because of the variety of information it contains. Information about the transition from wet to dry is especially helpful for decision makers such as the NC Drought Management Advisory Council who reviews condition monitoring reports each week to determine the drought status for the state. Can you think of ways conditions have changed from last week, a few weeks ago, last month to this week or month? Has soil moisture, water levels, water quality, animal activity or plant development changed?  Adding this kind of information to your reports can help us better understand how conditions change over time.  Remember, you are providing unique information that typical weather stations do not. This is one more way you can enhance your reports. Try it next time!  Thanks for setting a great example NC-WK-6! 

Categories
Plants and Wildlife
Water Supply and Quality

With less precipitation this week than we saw in previous weeks, the ground is starting to show signs of drying out somewhat. The previously very soggy areas of the yard and now just damp on the surface. Plants are largely dormant for the most part with some patches of green grass in the yard. The creek remains full and the water is clear. The pond is also full with a steady flow over the spillway. We saw a small herd of white tailed deer passing through the yard this afternoon. Birds are frequenting the bird feeders along with the usual squirrels and we have three mallards that frequent the pond.

New Weather Station for the Carolinas!

We have a new, fully automated weather station in South Carolina, thanks to the cooperative efforts of the North Carolina and South Carolina State Climatology offices. The station is located atop Sassafras Mountain in northeastern Pickens county, situated just on the North Carolina South Carolina border. Called the SASS station, it is a unique weather station in that, while being located in South Carolina, it will operate within North Carolina’s Environmental and Climate Observing Network, or ECONet.  The State Climatology offices decided on a collaborative effort because South Carolina had the funding to build the station, while North Carolina already possessed a well developed and sophisticated climate network to support continual data collection. The mutually beneficial relationship was logical, and both state climate offices have access to the data. Additionally, climate data from SASS pertains to both states as it straddles the border.

            Even more exciting, the new station fills a void in data collection for both states. At an elevation of 3,533 feet, Sassafras Mountain is the highest point in South Carolina, and forms part of the part of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Almost all other weather stations near the mountainous region sit at much lower elevations, or do not experience such variable weather. Consequently, we should expect to see new state records for South Carolina as data is recorded in the coming years. Just this past month on January 8th, we recorded -1 degree Fahrenheit, and -19 degrees when accounting for wind chill. If you want to track future readings for the SASS station, they can be found at http://nc-climate.ncsu.edu/cronos/?station=SASS. 

Look out from Sassafras Mountain, photo courtesy of Joe Vaughn.

If you want to learn more about SASS, check out these two additional articles for added information.

http://www.thestate.com/2015/01/21/3941824_new-station-will-help-track-some.html?rh=1

http://www.powdersvillepost.com/news/news/151557024/New-weather-station-is-online

If you are an avid outdoor enthusiast and want to pay SASS a visit, see the following links.

http://www.backpacker.com/trips/south-carolina/greenville-sc-sassafras-mountain/

http://www.visitpickenscounty.com/vendor/124/sassafras-mountain/ 

Condition Monitoring Star of the Week, Jan 26th - Febr 2nd, McIntosh County, GA

 Our Condition Monitoring Star of the Week was posted on January 26th by observer with station number GA-MI-5 in McIntosh County, GA.  This observer is our only participant in Georgia and has consistently submitted condition monitoring and precipitation reports throughout the course of our study. We'd like to shine a spotlight on this report because its keen observations shows that Spring is not far away. It encourages us to be aware of changes happening right now. As our climate warms, we may see the signs of spring earlier in the year.  Your observations can help us document if, when and how these changes might occur. Thanks for the inspiration GA-MI-5!  Keep it coming!


This is for the week of 19-25 January 2015. We had a total of 1.90 inches of rain and two trace days for the week. The 1.90 inches fell on the 23-24. The week felt like Spring. We had warm days and mild nights. What topped the week off is that I saw my first Robins on the 21st. So maybe Spring is coming. We will see. The other Spring like signs is the Hydrangeas leaf buds are green and the Goji Berry planted in a pot has a few new leaves. The Day-lilies that I reported on earlier are at least 6 inches tall and more each day are sprouting their green leaves. I noticed while driving around the county that some of the ditches are very full and the one property that looks like a large pond after a lot of rain looked like a large pond again after drying out prior to the rain on the 23-24. The yard in the poorer draining spots is very squishy. The Resurrection Ferns are thriving is all this rain.