Winter Weather Condition Monitoring Reports

As we prepare for our second winter weather event here in the Carolinas we thought it would be helpful to share a couple of the reports we received after last month's snow event. Since this weather is a bit unusual for South Carolina, it is great to capture it in your condition monitoring reports to share how the colder temperatures and frozen precipitation affect your local environment.


On January 27th in addition to her regular reporting, a Beaufort County observer noted preparedness actions to get ready to measure snowfall: "Two weeks since last report. 0.68” of rain the first week nothing the second week. Cold, dry air masses with lots of wind have prompted several fire hazard warnings, especially this past week. Surprisingly, water levels in the lagoons are still up and draining. An unusual winter storm watch is in place for tomorrow and the next day with freezing rain and the possibility of snow. In preparation, I have removed the funnel & inner tube from my rain gauge."


Remember! Removing your funnel will allow you to capture snowfall to take the appropriate 'Melted Snow' measurement for your daily precipitation report. Be sure to check out the CoCoRaHS "In Depth" Snow Measuring training to learn more about how to correctly measure snow accumulation at: http://www.cocorahs.org/media/docs/MeasuringSnow2.1.pdf.

On January 31st, after the snow event, an observer in Pickens County noted "Soil moisture is a little above normal due to melting snowfall. Shaded areas still average about .25" of snow." This observer reported a total of 1.5" of snowfall at his gauge location on January 29th. 

And an observer in Aiken County, who submits her condition monitoring reports monthly, had a lot to share about how the cold temperatures and snow affected her backyard pond, lawn, and bird activity, among other great observations for the month of January:  

She writes, "I have a lot to report for the Month of January……. The month started out very rainy and wet, then the faucet turned off and plants dried up and turned brown as we shivered in the COLD temperatures. We ended the month with SNOW! My total rainfall to report for the month is 3.59" This is actually below average. Average rainfall is 3.91" for the Month. Heaviest rainfall occurred on Saturday January 10th 1.72" fell during the afternoon with a thunderstorm. Ironically, I remembered the old wives tale of thunder/lightning in January means snow in 10 days…Well; it was a little more than ten days after I heard that rumble of thunder, and it did snow. In fact I measured exactly 2 inches. When all that snow melted down into my gage the total melted snowfall was 0.23" The snowfall began around 8pm on 1/28 and lasted through the night into 1/29. The snow was on the ground for about 2 days before it all melted away. I did notice the birds were very active in the morning the day before the snowfall in my backyard. My daughter brought this to my attention. I think we saw a red cardinal, a few finches, and some blue jays. Maybe the birds knew what was ahead? Did I mention it was COLD??????? My lowest temperature reading was 15 degrees. I cannot remember what day that was. IF I remember correctly, the day we had the snow on the ground 1/29, the high temperature was only 31 degrees at the airport. This was a new record low max temperature for that date. Just in case you were wondering when the last time it snowed here, it was in January back in 2011. I have plenty of pictures from snowfall January 2011 and January 2014. My daughter had a blast….Me not so much; it was a big inconvenience & TOO COLD for my taste. Total days of measured precipitation this month with rain & snow was 12 days. Kind of shocking that we did not meet average precipitation even with 12 days of measured precipitation. Currently you can see a picture of my backyard pond with the snowfall on the ground as the cover photo on the NWS Facebook site. Very pretty, worth a look. Finally, my husband planted rye grass back in the fall with hopes of a pretty green lawn throughout the winter……..rye grass is just as dead as can be, it did grow, grass was green, but it just could not survive the frigid cold temperatures in the teens. Sago plants were green, now they are brown, palmetto palm fronds still are green, but they have a brownish/yellowish tint to them because of the cold temperatures. Hope this report is useful."

This report is most certainly useful! It contains a ton of interesting information and was fun to read. We hope that you are finding the information you report to be interesting as well. We will look for other great condition monitoring reports after this week's snow event to share how this winter weather is affecting folks around the state.  

Happy reporting everyone!

No Groundhog Needed

In case you missed it, Pennsylvania’s famous groundhog prognosticator, Punxsutawney Phil, DID see his shadow this past Sunday, which, according to legend, means we are in for another six weeks of winter. That probably comes as no surprise to many of us in the Carolinas, where memories of last week’s snow and ice event still linger. But before you rush out to replace your worn out winter boots for blustery weather ahead, the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) in Asheville, NC reminds us that Phil’s forecasts are, on average, inaccurate.  "The groundhog has shown no talent for predicting the arrival of spring, especially in recent years," according to the center. In fact, the National Weather Service predicts a fairly good chance of above-average temperatures in the Southeast during the months of February and March as we move towards the first day of spring on March 20th. And, as of the beginning of February, most of the Carolinas are not experiencing drought conditions. But we don’t need a furry little rodent from Pennsylvania to tell us that. It is you and your daily observations and regular condition reports that keep local, state, and national officials informed about on-the-ground precipitation rates in our area. Whether the next few weeks are more like winter or not, your observations help paint a picture of the weather and its impacts in the Carolinas on our way to spring!

Capturing Ice and Snow

As many of you are likely aware, portions of both North and South Carolina are under Winter Storm Watches and Warnings today. These advisories are in preparation for a coastal storm that will develop and clash with cold arctic air starting Tuesday for a significant winter weather event. As we've noted before, recording frozen precipitation is a valuable part of the CoCoRaHS program and we encourage you to keep checking those gauges! CoCoRaHS provides easy to understand 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 event that you find yourself at home due to weather conditions, consider submitting a condition monitoring report to provide a more detailed account of the local weather in your area. Your observations can help the folks who have to be out in the ice and snow. Stay safe everyone! 

For more information...

Do you ever wonder how your precipitation measurements 'measure up' to what's going on in other parts of the Carolinas or around the Southeast? Well, wonder no more!

The Southeast Regional Climate Center (SERCC) publishes a monthly 'State of the Climate' report which shares information about temperature, precipitation, severe weather and tornadoes, and drought and agriculture each and every month.

For the month of December we learn that temperatures were above normal across much of the region, with temperature from 3-4 degrees above normal across the Carolinas and as high as 5-6 degrees above normal in coastal areas of South Carolina. Overnight temperatures were also above normal throughout the Southeast last month, with over 300 daily high minimum temperature records tied or broken across the region.

With respect to precipitation, several locations recorded very wet months including Brevard, NC with a record setting 14.77" (records kept from 1931-2013). The above normal precipitation helped to alleviate the dry conditions that we've been experiencing for the last several months.

You can access the report usually by the 2nd week of the month on the SERCC website at www.sercc.com. Look for the flashing 'updated' sign to see when a new report has been released.

The SC State Climate Office is part of
the Department of Natural Resources

To find information local to South Carolina, look for the weekly weather reports from the South Carolina State Climate Office here. These weekly reports include a summary about the previous week's weather around the state, precipitation measurements from airport stations including departures from normal, 4-inch depth soil temperatures (a great tool for gardeners!), river levels, and ocean temperatures at Springmaid Pier in Myrtle Beach.

These organizations provide a great source of information. Additionally, your CoCoRaHS precipitation measurements and condition monitoring reports can help to inform these efforts. Folks at the SC State Climate Office read the 'comments' associated with daily precipitation reports on a regular basis. They rely on observers like you to tell them what's happening on the ground so that they can relay that information to others. So keep up the great work!

Drought Impacts Reporting Webinar ~ January 8th at 2:00 p.m.

Join us next Wednesday, January 8th at 2:00 p.m. for a webinar that will highlight CoCoRaHS volunteers and your condition monitoring efforts!

CISA will be participating in a webinar that is part of the Engaging Preparedness Communities work group of the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS). We will be sharing information about our partnership with NIDIS and the project we are coordinating with CoCoRaHS volunteers to conduct citizen science condition monitoring as we work to learn more about drought impacts in coastal ecosystems in the Carolinas.

A representative from the CoCoRaHS national headquarters office will also be speaking about how CoCoRaHS observers throughout the country have been submitting drought impact reports since 2010. And a representative from the National Drought Mitigation Center will talk about how these reports feed into a national database.

The webinar is part of a series exploring current research and applications on drought impacts in an effort to share information with the planners, decision makers, and resource managers. This is a great chance to learn how the information you are submitting through your regular condition monitoring reports can be used to help decision makers plan for and manage drought in your local communities.

If you would like to join us, register for the webinar at: http://go.unl.edu/97oe.

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!