Condition Monitoring Star of the Week, April 20th - 26th - Polk County, NC

Our Condition Monitoring Star of the Week was posted on April 26th by observer with station number NC-PK-16 in Polk County, NC.  We chose this report because it includes a variety of information about their garden, other plants and animals at their location.  We especially appreciate the information about irrigation frequency.  As spring continues into summer, irrigation will be necessary for many observers.  However, wet or dry condition can cause changes in how often irrigation is needed.  Therefore, irrigation is a great indicator of moisture levels.  Let us know how irrigation frequency changes throughout the spring and summer at your home and in your community.  Thanks NC-PK-16.  You've set the bar pretty high!

Categories
Agriculture 
Plants and Wildlife

This past week we received 1.95 inches of rain. The topsoil across the property is wet; there are no standing pools of water. Everything is verdant. Several varieties of sown seeds are sprouting: cowpeas, okra, sunflower... There has been no need to water any outdoor plants this week. Beavers were seen this past week (within two hours of sunset) in the wetlands bordering the property. Deer prints have been made in our fields, and deer have been spotted in the woods on the property. This year we have several red-winged blackbirds visiting our bird feeders, which we have not seen in previous years.

Earth Day 2015!

Happy Earth Day everyone! Today is the 45th anniversary of Earth Day and it’s a beautiful day in the Carolinas.  If you haven’t had a chance celebrate our planet there are a variety of events happening in North and South Carolina. 

Wine for Water

Columbia, SC

Wednesday, April, 22 6-8 PM

Food from local restaurants, wines from around the world, and silent auction - benefits watershed associations dedicated to restoring the Midlands’ watershed. 

http://www.gillscreekwatershed.org/wine_for_water_2015.html

Asheville Earth Week

Asheville, NC

April 12 - 22

Asheville Earth Day is a 10 day celebration with activities designed to promote health, green living, sustainability and environmental consciousness. All profits from the festival will go directly to Wild South.

http://www.avlearthday.org

Piedmont Earth Day Fair

Winston-Salem Fairground, NC

Saturday, April 25th, 10AM -5PM

The Piedmont Earth Day Fair is the largest Earth Day celebration and one-day environmental education event in the region. Best of all the entire event is FREE and great for kids!

http://peanc.org/earth-day-fair

These are just a few of the 2015 Earth Day events going on in the Carolinas.  If you know of other events please feel free to share them with us!  And if festivals are not for you, then still take the time to get outdoors and enjoy this great weather!

Condition Monitoring Star of the Week, April 13th - 19th - Beaufort County, SC

Our Condition Monitoring Star of the Week was submitted on April 20th by observer with station number SC-BF-10 in Beaufort County, South Carolina.  We chose this report because observer lets us know that recent precipitation has alleviated dryness at their location.  In addition to understanding how drought/dryness onsets, we also need to know how it lessens. We read your reports using specialized software to select and categorize sentences and phrases according to what other observers discuss. These categories include "recovery from drought or dryness".  We know that many areas in the Carolinas has received little rainfall over the past month or so and that recent precipitation has offered relief.  We urge all observers to let us know how dryness has been alleviated in their area.  Great job SC-BF-10!

Finally got some April relief! Received 2.32" this past week, ending yesterday with a terrific thunderstorm and tornado watch. Back to near normal needing approximately 1/3" to close the month out as average.

Condition Monitoring Star of the Week, April 6th-12th - Camden County, NC

Our Condition Monitoring Star of the Week was posted on April 9th by observer with station number NC-CA-4.  We really appreciate this report because it lists multiple ways weather affected their community.  We get receive lots of great reports about what's going on in your yards however, we also need to know what's going on your community.  This report offers some great ideas about the types impacts and community sectors you can observer for future reports. So check out this report and think of some ways you can enhance your own reports by including information about what's going on in your neighborhood, community, city and county. Keep up the good with NC-CA-4!


The last several weeks, the warmer weather has brought lots of mud and stuff. Road crews are all over trying to get huge pot holes repaired cause of the ice/then melt/then ice weather of Jan, Feb and Mar... it is creating road hazards and probably dangerous for crews, as even the detours have detours. People on Craig's list in this area a giving away trees that have fallen to any one who will just come and cut them down and get them out of there yard. Construction is behind so now all of a sudden with the weather better, everyone is working who was previously just waiting for return to work calls. Those going back to work are being asked to do tons of overtime because commercial jobs are behind schedule. But am thankful for all the work my friends and all are getting cause 2-4 months of unemployment has affected not only the jobs, but when your laid off, you have no medical benefits. With the IRS imposing the Health Care Mandates, these kinds of workers have not only have been without employment, but health insurance too, now a fine... That is triple jeopardy, just cause of the weather this year. Well, the usual.. plants are growing, have not lost much it seems from the weather... I am not sure about farmers cause I have only seen one farmer getting out to plow the fields which I think is strange cause most would be chomping at the bit to get things started.

A Great Big THANK YOU!

Yesterday, the CISA Team received a wonderful Thank You e-mail from Rebecca Cumbie, a climatologist at the North Carolina State Climate Office, about the citizen science condition monitoring project.

Rebecca participates in weekly calls with the NC Drought Management Advisory Council, a group of agency representatives who discuss conditions throughout the state to help inform the US Drought Monitor. She reads your condition monitoring reports each week, to share the information you're reporting about what's happening on the ground with other council members.

None of this would be possible without the diligent efforts of YOU, our project volunteers. I've copied Rebecca's e-mail below so that each of you can read it and know how truly valuable your contributions are.

Keep up the great work!

I just wanted to send you a quick note to say THANKS for all your hard work with the CoCoRaHS Condition Monitoring project!  We've been watching conditions quickly deteriorate in the western half of NC over the last few weeks and these have been invaluable sources of on-the-ground information.  This is a time of year where there still aren't many impacts to be felt in more "typical" sectors such as agriculture.  The wealth and detail of information in these reports is amazing -- from talking about stagnant creeks that were flowing only a few weeks ago, to squishy yards, to the species of plants that are emerging.  Connecting the information in these reports with objective indicators such as streamflow levels or SPI really gives us a fuller picture of what's happening in parts of the state.  I'll continue to look at these closely, especially over the next few weeks.  I felt compelled to share how valuable these reports are for monitoring dryness (or up until recently -- wetness) in NC.  A heap of thanks goes to you and to the observers, and I hope you keep up the amazing work!

Regards,

Rebecca
--

Rebecca Cumbie

Extension Climatologist

State Climate Office of North Carolina

Condition Monitoring Star of the Week, March 30th - April 5th - McIntosh County, GA

The Condition Monitoring Star of the Week for March 30th - April 6th was posted on April 6th by observer with station number GA-MI-5 in McIntosh County, Georgia.  This is the only observer in GA participating in the CISA and CoCoRaHS Condition Monitoring Project and we are grateful for the information they provide.  Not only do they consistently submit reports which is crucial for understanding long-term trends and changes in their local environment, this observer submits detailed reports full of valuable information.  This report is special because the observer compares their rain totals with those of previous years at their location and with the PRISM average. The PRISM Climate Group at Oregon State University gathers climate observations using a variety of tools and techniques and tries to offer this data to the public free of charge.  It's a great source to see how your precipitation measures averages for your area. This information helps us understand what long-term changes in climate and weather look like in your community and at your specific location.  Great job GA-MI-5!

Categories
Agriculture
Plants and Wildlife

This is for the week of 30 March-5 April 2015. First let's do March's rain fall statistics. We had 1.97 inches of rain in March that is the driest March we had in 7 years. PRISM average for March is 3.97 inches. The second driest March was in 2010 with 2.50 inches. The wettest March was 2012 with 4.22 inches. I averaged the 7 years and my March average is 3.10 inches so no matter how you cut it this March was dry. Of the 3l days of March, we had 14 days of rain. Now for this week, we had two days of rain for a total of 0.16 inches. The days are warm but pleasant. I saw my first snake of the season-a Garter Snake from what I could see of it. The Goldfinches are still coming but it looks like we are on the backside of the migration. They are still very vocal and we really enjoy them. I haven't seen the Red-wing Blackbirds at all this year. The citrus have recovered nicely from the cold snap we had this winter-pushing new leaves and growth. Our Irises started blooming this week. The Bananas are also coming out of dormancy and pushing new leaves. I am watering the vegetables planted in pots and newly planted camellias.