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North Carolina Climate, the newsletter of the State Climate Office of North Carolina, is going through some changes. Instead of a longer newsletter produced 2-3 times a year, a monthly newsletter will be published that highlights the previous months weather and climate and a few interesting activities of the State Climate Office. This is the first edition for this new format, and we'd love to hear feedback from you, our readers.
PDF version available for printing.

Save water - don't waste your outdoor irrigation!
SCO and Crop Science announce Turf Irrigation Management System (TIMS)

With drought upon us and water restrictions in place for much of the state, the SCO has teamed up with scientists in Crop Science and the NCSU Center for Turfgrass Environmental Research and Education to help everyone with grass minimize their outdoor water use and still maintain a beautiful lawn. The online tool uses information about irrigation rates, the kind of grass grown, and recent precipitation and evaporation amounts to provide a precise amount of water a user needs to apply to ensure a healthy lawn without wasting water.

More information, and access to the online tool is available at:
http://www.turffiles.ncsu.edu/tims/

Volunteer Observers Wanted - Every Drop Counts!
When you hear the rainfall amount from the official gage, have you ever said, "That's not what I got!"

Beginning in September 2007, you can let us know how much rain, hail, or snow you measured in your backyard by joining the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS). This new program will help meteorologists, researchers, the media, and others see and study the variability of precipitation across North Carolina . The accumulated precipitation data will be available to anyone using the web. Observations reported by CoCoRaHS volunteers will be used by a wide range of agencies and scientists, including National Weather Service and UNC system scientists, to monitor and study rainfall patterns, drought, and the impacts to our surface water systems. This is a great activity for science teachers and their students, for the farmer who tracks precipitation, or for weather hobbyists who want to contribute to our knowledge of the environment.

CoCoRaHS volunteers use a standard scientific rain gauge, available through the CoCoRaHS Web site (www.cocorahs.org) for about $30, including shipping. Volunteers complete online training and install the rain gauge on their property about five feet above the ground in a site with little or no obstruction from trees or other objects.

To sign up as a volunteer observer, visit the CoCoRaHS Web site at http://www.cocorahs.org. Once you register and begin to report, your rainfall observations will become part of the volunteer record, and will be plotted on maps of your county and state. You can view the maps and see how your observation fits in with your neighbors involved in CoCoRaHS across the country.

August 2007 Month-in-Review

Heat and drought dominated the weather and the media in August. For much of North Carolina, August 2007 was the warmest on record. Several cities broke daily maximum temperature records, and some set new all-time maximum temperature records. To add to the drought injury, several locations also set new records for low precipitation in August.

Based on preliminary data, new records for August average temperature were set at:

New records for low rainfall were set at:

New records for daily maximum temperatures were set at:

Statewide Summary for August 2007

As part of the monthly newsletter, the SCO will provide a basic summary of monthly conditions for all locations that have an automated reporting station. A daily version of this product is available online at:
http://www.nc-climate.ncsu.edu/cronos/review/

Data for August 2007

Legend: