monitoring the weather and climate of...

Monitoring the Weather and Monitoring the Weather and Climate of ColoradoClimate of Colorado

Nolan Nolan DoeskenDoeskenColorado Climate CenterAtmospheric Science Department

Presented to Gamma Sigma Delta Seminar Series, September 28, 2005, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO

Prepared by Odie Bliss

What is the Colorado Climate Center?

StaffRoger A. Pielke, Sr.Professor, Atmospheric Science and State Climatologist, [email protected]

Nolan J. DoeskenClimatologist and Senior Research Associate, [email protected]

Odie BlissCoordinator, [email protected]

MissionThe Colorado Climate Center was established by the state in 1974, through the Colorado State University Agricultural Experiment Station, to provide information and expertise on Colorado’s complex climate. Through its threefold program of Climate Monitoring (data acquisition, analysis, and archiving), Climate Research and Climate Services, the Center is responding to many climate related questions and problems affecting the state today.

What Does It Mean To

“Monitor”?

Fort Collins campus weather stationElements: temperature, precipitation, snow, wind, solar, evaporation, soil temperatures, humidity, cloud cover

Fort Collins Historic Weather Station –Continuous observations from 1889 to present

Fort Collins Yearly Precipitation

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

1889

1893

1897

1901

1905

1909

1913

1917

1921

1925

1929

1933

1937

1941

1945

1949

1953

1957

1961

1965

1969

1973

1977

1981

1985

1989

1993

1997

2001

2005

Year

ly P

reci

pita

tion

(inch

es)

2005 totaled for Jan-Sep

National Weather Service Cooperative Weather Stations

Cooperative Weather Stations

in Colorado

Typical Cooperative Weather Station

NCDC’sClimatological Data publication for Colorado

Colorado Average Annual Precipitation Map

National Weather Service Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS)

Denver International Airport ASOS, Photo courtesy of the National Weather Service

Example F-6 form from Denver Intl Airport for July 2005

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/den/cli/climo.php

CoAgMetWeather Data for Agriculture

Automated weather stations with daily and hourly readings of:

TemperatureHumidityWindPrecipitationSolar energyEvapotranspiration

http://www.coagmet.com

Center, Colo., CoAgMet Daily Valuesof Temperature and Solar Radiation

Burlington South

USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service

NRCS Snotel Sites for Colorado

Typical NRCS Snotel Site

NRCS Streamflow Forecast

http://www.co.nrcs.usda.gov/snow/watersupply/

Snotel Data WY2005

U.S. Geological Survey

http://water.usgs.gov/waterwatch/

Other Data SourcesRAWS (Remote Automated Weather Stations)

Storm King RAWS

http://www.fs.fed.us/raws/

School Weather Stations

Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT)

Urban Drainage and Flood Control District (UDFCD) ALERT system

New ALERT weather station & stream gauge on Marston Lake North Drainageway.

What Is Our Current Status?

Colorado Temperature DeparturesWater Year 2005

-4.0

-2.0

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep

Dep

artu

re (D

egre

es F

ahre

nhei

t)

Eastern Plains Foothills Mountains Western Valleys

Division 2 – Grand JunctionGrand Junction WSFO

2005 Water Year

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

OCT

NOV

DEC

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

Months

Acc

umul

ated

Pre

cipi

tatio

n (In

ches

)

30 Year Averages-1971-2000 Max Year - 1929 Min Year - 1956

Period of Record Average - 1893- 2002 2005 Water Year Accumulated 2002 Water Year Accumulated

Division 3 – Mesa VerdeMesa Verde NP2005 Water Year

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP

Months

Acc

umul

ated

Pre

cipi

tatio

n (In

ches

)


Period of Record Average - 1893- 2002 2005 Water Year Accumulated 2002 Water Year

Division 6 - Rocky FordRocky Ford

2005 Water Year

0

5

10

15

20

25

OCT

NOV

DEC

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

Months

Acc

umul

ated

Pre

cipi

tatio

n (In

ches

)


Period of Record Average - 1889-2002 2005 Water Year Accumulated

Division 7 – BurlingtonBurlington

2005 Water Year

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP

Months

Acc

umul

ated

Pre

cipi

tatio

n (In

ches

)

30 Year Averages-1971-2000 Max Year - 1915 Min Year - 1954Period of Record Average - 1892-2002 2005 Water Year 2002 Water Year Accumulated

Division 7 – AkronAkron 4E

2005 Water Year

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

OCT

NOV

DEC

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

Months

Acc

umul

ated

Pre

cipi

tatio

n (In

ches

)


Period of Record Average - 1906 - 2002 2005 Water Year Accumulated

Division 8 – Fort CollinsFort Collins

2005 Water Year

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

OCTNOV

DECJA

NFEB

MARAPR

MAYJU

NJU

LAUG

SEP

Month

Acc

umul

ated

Pre

cipi

tatio

n (in

ches

)


Period of Record Average - 1890 - 2002 2005 Water Year 2002 WY

WY 2005 precipitation

Current Conditions Compared to Recent

Years

1999 Water Year Precipitation

Drought Monitor – Sep 20, 2005

http://www.co.nrcs.usda.gov/snow/watersupply/

Colorado Reservoir Storage

Provisional Data Provided by NRCS

Colorado Statewide Reservoir Levels on October 1stfor Years 1997- 2004 and Sep 1, 2005

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

Oct 1.

1997

Oct 1.

1998

Oct 1.

1999

Oct 1.

2000

Oct 1.

2001

Oct 1.

2002

Oct 1.

2003

Oct 1.

2004

Sep 1.

2005

Perc

ent o

f Ave

rage

Longer Term Perspective

Fort Collins Water Year Precipitation Total for Summer and Winter,1890-2005

Fort Collins Water Year Precipitation Totals

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

1890

1894

1898

1902

1906

1910

1914

1918

1922

1926

1930

1934

1938

1942

1946

1950

1954

1958

1962

1966

1970

1974

1978

1982

1986

1990

1994

1998

2002

2006

Year

Prec

ipita

tion

(inch

es)

Oct-Mar Winter Apr-Sep Summer

Colorado average summer (Jun-Aug) temperature, 1895-2005

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/cag3/co.html

Colorado Statewide Average Summer (Jun-Aug) Temperature

60

61

62

63

64

65

66

67

68

69

70

1895

1900

1905

1910

1915

1920

1925

1930

1935

1940

1945

1950

1955

1960

1965

1970

1975

1980

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

Tem

pera

ture

(deg

F)

Temperature Average Temperature

Colorado average winter (Dec-Feb) temperature, 1895-2005

Colorado Statewide Average Winter (Dec-Feb) Temperature

1934

1979

17

19

21

23

25

27

29

31

33

1895

1900

1905

1910

1915

1920

1925

1930

1935

1940

1945

1950

1955

1960

1965

1970

1975

1980

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

Tem

pera

tuur

e (d

eg F

)

Temperature Average Temperature

How can we gather more data without breaking the bank??

Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network

The Origin of CoCoRaHSThe Fort Collins Flood of July 28, 1997

What is CoCoRaHS?CoCoRaHS is a unique, non-profit community based network of volunteers of all ages and backgrounds working together to measure and map precipitation (rain, hail and snow).

CoCoRaHS: Simple tools to study rain

Rain Gauge Example Station

CoCo RaHS Gauge in March 2003 Snowstorm

Arapahoe County CoCo RaHS observer near Cherry Creek, Colorado

CoCoRaHS: : Simple Tools to Study Hail

Hail PadDamaged Hail Pad

Example Hail Pad Stands

CoCoRaHS -- Supplementing NWS Cooperative Program to Improve Precipitation Measurements.

Fort Collins Daily Rainfall Examples

Colorado 9/22/2005

Kit Carson County, 8/23/2005

Colorado HailstormJuly 10, 2002, Parker, CO

Expanded Hail Information from Web Site

How many volunteers do we need?How many volunteers do we need?

Our goal is at least one per square mile over urbanized areas.As many as we can find in rural areas.

Participating CoCoRaHS States

For More Information, Visit the CoCoRaHS Web Site

Support for this project provided by Informal Science Education Program,National Science Foundationandmany local charter sponsors.

http://www.cocorahs.org

Colorado Climate CenterData and Power Point Presentations available for downloading

http://ccc.atmos.colostate.educlick on “Drought” then click on “Presentations”

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