Precipitation Summary for January 2009

Precipitation totals were recorded daily at our home (Station MI-BN-3) on Crescent Lake near Buchanan, Michigan, following protocols established by CoCoRaHS (the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network).

Precipitation Summary:

Totals.—Precipitation in the form of rain or snow was recorded on 24 days; measurable amounts of precipitation (i.e., ≥0.01 inches water equivalency) were recorded on 20 (64 percent) of 31 days, with a total accumulation of 2.39 inches (0.08 inches/day, 0.10 inches/day with precipitation, and 0.12 inches/day with measurable precipitation).

Rainfall.—Moisture in the form of rain or a rain/snow mix was recorded on 2 days; measurable precipitation attributed solely to rain was recorded on 1 day with a total accumulation of 0.02 inches (0.0006 inches/day, 0.01 inches/day with rain or a rain/snow mix, 0.02 inches/day with measurable rain or a rain/snow mix).

Snowfall.—Measurable accumulations (i.e., ≥0.1 inches) of snow fell on each of 22 days, totaling 36.2 inches (1.17 inches/day, 1.64 inches/day with snow, and 1.64 inches/day with measurable snow); the water equivalency from new snow was 2.37 inches as measured from a core sample taken from a snowboard (0.066 inches/1.0 inch of snow). The highest 1-day total snowfall was 5.0 inches on the 22nd.

On average, the rain gauge underestimated the water content of new snow by 25 percent (i.e., 1.76 inches of water from snow captured in the rain gauge versus 2.37 inches of water as measured from the snow board, a deficit of 0.61 inches). For this reason, precipitation totals reported above under Precipitation Summary reflect the water content of new snow as measured by a core sample taken from the snow board.

Snow Cover and Snow Depths.—The areal extent of snow cover was 50 percent or more on 29 days, and 100 percent on 27 days. Average snow depth on the 29 days with 50 percent or more snow cover ranged from a trace to 17.0 inches (on the 16th), with a median of 11.5 inches. On days with 50 percent or more snow cover, the amount of water on the ground in the form of snow or ice ranged from 0.03 to 3.09 inches (on the 28th), with a median of 2.18 inches. On average, each inch of snow on the ground (new and old combined) yielded 0.155 inches of water (range 0.06 to 0.24).

Comparisons:

At the official weather station in South Bend, Indiana (located 12 miles SE of this station), the precipitation total for the month (1.57 inches) was 31 percent below the 30-year (1971-2000) norm of 2.27 inches. By contrast, total snowfall (29.4 inches) was 27 percent above the norm of 23.2 inches. Comparable totals for Buchanan this month were 2.39 inches of precipitation and 36.2 inches of snow.

The 30-year (1951-1980) mean December precipitation at Niles, Michigan (located 4.5 miles ENE of this station) is 2.51 inches, while the mean December snowfall for the same period is 17.2 inches.

Temperature, Relative Humidity, and Dew Point (at 7:00 AM):

Temperature.—High (32 on 4th), Median 16, Low (-5 on 16th and 20th). Freezing or sub-freezing temperatures were recorded on 31 days.

Relative Humidity.—High (92 on 3rd), Median 75, Low (59 on 5th).

Dew Point Temperature.—High (27 on 4th), Median 6, Low (-14 on 16th and 20th).

Precipitation Totals for December 2008

Precipitation totals were recorded daily at our home (Station MI-BN-3) on Crescent Lake near Buchanan, Michigan, following protocols established by CoCoRaHS (the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network).

Precipitation Summary:

Totals.—Measurable amounts of precipitation (i.e., ≥0.01 inches) in the form of rain or snow fell on 77 percent (24) of 31 days, with a total accumulation (water equivalency) of 3.65 inches (0.12 inches/day, or 0.15 inches/day with measurable precipitation).

Rainfall.—Moisture in the form of rain or a rain/snow mix was recorded on 9 days with a total accumulation of 1.82 inches attributed solely to rain (0.06 inches/day, 0.20 inches/day with rain or a rain/snow mix). A freezing rain that fell on the morning of the 26th created severe icing conditions on area roads.

Snowfall.—Precipitation in the form of snow was recorded on 22 days, with measurable accumulations on 18 days totaling 28.9 inches (0.93 inches/day, 1.31 inches/day with snow, and 1.61 inches/day with measurable snow); the water equivalency from new snow was 2.88 inches as measured from the rain gauge (0.099 inches/1.0 inch of snow) versus 2.96 inches as measured from a core sample taken from a snowboard (0.102 inches/1.0 inch of snow). The highest 1-day total was 5.0 inches on the 22nd.

Snow Cover and Snow Depths.—The areal extent of snow cover was 50 percent or more on 27 days, and 100 percent on 26 days. Average snow depth on the 27 days with 50 percent or more snow cover ranged from 0.5 to 10.0 inches (on the 22nd), with a median of 3.0 inches. The amount of water on the ground in the form of snow or ice ranged from 0.03 to 1.94 inches (on the 23rd), with a median of 0.43 inches. On average, each inch of snow on the ground (new and old combined) yielded 0.18 inches of water (range 0.02 to 0.46).

Comparisons:

At the official weather station in South Bend, Indiana (located 12 miles SE of this station), the precipitation total for the month (3.79 inches) was 23 percent above the norm of 3.09 inches. By contrast, total snowfall (16.8 inches) was 12.5 percent below the norm of 19.2 inches.

The 30-year (1951-1980) mean December precipitation at Niles, Michigan (located 4.5 miles ENE of this station) is 3.18 inches, while the mean December snowfall for the same period is 15.8 inches.

Temperature, Relative Humidity, and Dew Point (at 7:00 AM):

Temperature.—High (51 on 27th), Median 22, Low (2 on 22nd). Freezing or sub-freezing temperatures were recorded on 27 days.

Relative Humidity.—High (99 on 11th), Median 74, Low (51 on 7th).

Dew Point Temperature.—High (47 on 27ty), Median 14, Low (-6 on 21st).

Previous Reports for 2009 Water Year: October 2008, November 2008.

Precipitation Summary for November 2008

Precipitation totals were recorded daily at our home (Station MI-BN-3) on Crescent Lake near Buchanan, Michigan, following protocols established by CoCoRaHS (the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network).

Precipitation Summary:

Totals.—Measurable amounts of precipitation (i.e., ≥0.01 inches) in the form of rain or snow fell on 47 percent (14) of 30 days, with a total accumulation (water equivalency) of 2.78 inches (0.09 inches/day, or 0.20 inches/day with measurable precipitation).

Rainfall.—Moisture in the form of rain or a rain/snow mix was recorded on 9 days with a total accumulation of 1.25 inches.

Snowfall.—Precipitation in the form of snow was recorded on 8 days, with measurable accumulations on 5 days (first on the 17th) totalling 16.6 inches (0.55 inches/day, 1.84 inches/day with snow, and 3.32 inches/day with measurable snow); the water equivalency from new snow was 1.53 inches as measured from the rain gauge (0.09 inches/1.0 inch of snow) versus 1.30 inches as measured from a core sample taken from a snowboard (0.08 inches/1.0 inch of snow). The highest 1-day total was 8.5 inches on the 21st.

Snow Cover and Snow Depths.—The areal extent of snow cover was 50 percent or more on 11 days. Average snow depths on those 11 days ranged from 0.5 to 11.0 inches (on the 21st), with a median of 4.0 nches. On average, each inch of snow on the ground (new and old combined) yielded 0.11 inches of water (range 0.06 to 0.42).

Comparisons:

At CoCoRaHS stations elsewhere in Berrien and surrounding counties, measurable precipitation was recorded on 56.0 percent (375) of 669 reporting days, with values ranging from 53.0 percent in St. Joseph County (n=251) to 63.2 percent in Cass County (n=38).

Snowfall was recorded on 11.7 percent of reporting days, with values ranging from 7.7 percent in La Porte County (n=287) to 18.4 percent in Cass County.

Precipitation totals at 10 other CoCoRaHS station in Berrien and surrounding counties with 30 consecutive days (or equivalent) of measurements ranged from 1.41 to 2.51 inches (median 2.08 inches), while snowfall totals ranged from 0.0 to 15.2 inches (median 8.25 inches).

At the official weather station in South Bend, Indiana (located 12 miles SE of this station), the precipitation total for the month (1.95 inches) was 41 percent below the norm. By contrast, total snowfall (16.2 inches) was 109 percent above the norm, establishing November 2008 as the sixth snowiest November on record at that locality.

Temperature, Relative Humidity, and Dew Point (at 7:00 AM):

Temperature.—High (55 on 3rd), Median 34, Low (10 on 23rd). Freezing or sub-freezing temperatures were recorded on 12 days.

Relative Humidity.—High (99 on 27th & 29th), Median 74.5, Low (45 on 16th).

Dew Point Temperature.—High (42 on 14th), Median 22.5, Low (4 on 22nd).

Previous Reports: October 2008

2008 Water Year Summary Report

Station Number: MI-BN-3
Station Name: Buchanan 1.4 ESE

Station Location and History: This station is located 1.4 miles ESE of Buchanan, Michigan. Buchanan is located in the southeast portion of Berrien County, Michigan’s southwestern-most county. The rain gauge is located at 4776 Erie Drive (lat. 41.8 N, long. 86.3 W) at an elevation of 759 feet. It is maintained as part of the CoCoRaHS (the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, & Snow Network). Michigan officially joined the CoCoRaHS Network on July 1, 2008. Therefore, this report covers only the 4th quarter of the 2008 Water Year, July-September 2008.

The Data: Precipitation is recorded at 7:00 AM each morning, in accordance with CoCoRaHS protocol, using a standard 4-inch rain gauge. That measurement represents precipitation that has fallen during the previous 24 hours. Thus, a measurement taken at 7:00 AM on September 15th is an indicator of total precipitation that has fallen between 7:00 AM on September 14th and 7:00 AM on September 15th.

Precipitation Summary: July saw measurable amounts of rain (i.e., ≥ 0.01 inches) fall on 10 (32 percent) of 31 days, with a total accumulation of 2.35 inches (0.08 inches/day).

August produced measurable rainfall on 8 (26 percent) of 31 days, with a total accumulation of 2.33 inches (0.08 inches/day).

September was by far the wettest month of the quarter, with measurable rainfall on 13 (43 percent) of 30 days yielding a total accumulation of 13.00 inches (0.43 inches/day).

For the entire 4th quarter, measurable precipitation, all in the form of rain, fell on 31 (34 percent) of 92 days, producing a whopping 17.68 inches of rain; 74 percent of that total occurred in September, with 53 percent (9.38 inches) falling on just 3 days (September 13-15).

Superlatives:

Longest span of days with measurable rainfall: 7 (September 4-10).

Longest span of days without measurable rainfall: 13 (September 17-29).

Greatest rainfall in 24 hours: 3.83 inches (September 14).

Wettest month: September (13.00 inches)

Comparisons: No comparative data from previous years is available for this site. Therefore, to gauge the relative wetness of this quarter, I offer some comparative data from the nearest locality, South Bend, Indiana (located 12 miles SE of this station). July rainfall for South Bend (2.38 inches) was 36 percent below the norm (1970-2000), August rainfall (1.90 inches) was 52 percent below the norm, and September rainfall (13.96 inches) was 267 percent above the norm. The quarterly total of 18.24 inches at South Bend (which was very close to the 17.68 inches recorded in Buchanan) exceeded the norm at that locality by 59 percent. Thus, the fourth quarter of 2008 can be categorized as abnormally dry in July and August and exceedingly wet (i.e., record-setting) in September.

Temperature, Relative Humidity, and Dew Point: Purely for my own edification, I recorded these statistics on 90 of the 92 days during the quarter. All were recorded at about 7:00 AM, so can be considered to represent lows for each day. Figures for temperature and dew point are in degrees F., relative humidity is in percent. The results follow:

Temperature: High 74 (July 19), Median 60, Low 44 (September 10)

Relative Humidity: High 90 (July 5 & August 9), Median 84, Low 73 (August 22 & September 11)

Dew Point Temperature: High 68 (July 12 & 19), Median 54.5, Low 38 (September 10)

Water Year 2009 Begins

Water Year 2009, as recognized by climatologists and hydrologists, began on October 1st. The fact that it corresponds with the Federal fiscal year is merely a coincidence. The following description of the Water Year by climatologist Nolan Doesken is from the October 1, 2008, edition of The Catch (the bi-weekly newsletter of CoCoRaHS—the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, & Snow Network):

The water year is the best approximation of the consecutive 12 months that span the "water storage/water usage" hydrological cycle. The water year cycle is particularly obvious in the Rocky Mountains and western U.S. where snow begins to accumulate at high elevations in October and doesn’t melt until the next spring and summer.

Another way to think of the “Water Year” is the resting/replenishing season followed by the growing, harvesting and water-consuming season. As October begins, the summer growing season comes to an end. With the coming of colder weather, evapotranspiration shuts down. In the mountains and the northern states, snows begin to fall. For much of the country and especially the northern states, the months of October through March are months where precipitation from the sky exceeds evaporation from the ground. This means that soil moisture and ground water can recharge. Runoff that reaches the rivers and streams may increase (except in cold areas where the water remains frozen). Then, when next spring comes the temperatures rise again, plants come back to life, snow melts, rivers surge. Then evapotranspiration increases as plants begin to grow. By the summer months, evapotranspiration will once again exceed precipitation for most of the country. This means that soils dry out, river flow may decrease, and little or no water recharges aquifers. Drought becomes especially problematic when precipitation falls short of expectations during the spring and summer months. By next September, crops will be harvested, temperatures will again cool, and yet another water year will come to an end.

The Water Year calendar (October 1-September 30) does not exactly correspond to phenological events in the Midwest, but it’s close enough. As we enter the month of October here in southwestern Michigan, for example, most of the native flowering plants have gone to seed; apples and grapes are being picked; soybeans are being harvested, soon to be followed by corn; tree leaves are turning color and beginning to fall; and the migratory birds are gathering for their southward journeys.