 Western U.S. river basin precipitaion. Each square represents a water basin and the percent of average total precipitation that has fallen since October 1, 1997. Since the measurement stations are located inthe higher elevations, this information also represents water availability and potential spring flood or summer drought conditions. |
"Take a mining operation in rural Nevada, for instance," suggests Redmond. "Managers may need to know about precipitation and evaporation in a specific location. By knowing the elevation where routine measurements are taken, as well as climatic patterns in the mountainous West, we can extend the known information to answer the mine operator's questions."
A broad range of expertise is necessary to provide such service because sometimes requests for information go well beyond atmospheric science. Part of the fun of working for WRCC is being faced with a question like the effect of humidity on vinyl glue separation during manufacturing or what conditions along a truck route prematurely dried out 10,000 Christmas trees.
 Dr. Reinhardt and nine year old Laura Kreidberg inspecting the rain gauge that is part of the Stead, Nevada weather monitoring equipment. |
Not all questions are one of a kind, however. Through workshops and educational forums, the users' needs and ideas for enhanced informational techniques are identified. Over time, certain patterns emerge. When this happens, WRCC exhibits another of its talents: information engineering or tailoring data presentations for use by a broad range of clients--from teachers to resource managers.
Most of these presentations--or products--become part of the center's site on the Internet. By providing information in clear, easy-to-understand graphic formats, even young students can benefit--like a nine year old interested in the relationship between temperature and humidity in Stead, Nevada.
Products are continuously evolving based on what is learned from requests for information. The WRCC Internet site, for instance, has been expanded to provide western state maps showing the most recent hourly wind direction, speeds, and gusts; dew point and temperature fields; and barometric pressures. This information is used by forecasters and others to determine the development of weather systems.
 derived from surface observations. |
Detailed climate summaries for more than 1,800 locations throughout the West are also provided. A user first selects a state from which a specific location may then be chosen. From there, information on a broad range of climate variables--from daily temperature and precipitation to heating degree days--can easily be obtained.
A summary of 30-year-average air temperature and precipitation information, for instance, has numerous applications including vacation planning, determining retirement destinations, developing outdoor construction or maintenance operations, planning travel routes, gardening, and many other outdoor activities.
Most of this information comes to WRCC from a network of cooperative observers who, without any compensation, record daily precipitation, maximum and minimum temperature, snowfall, and snowpack. These manual observations are supplemented with information from automated stations maintained and operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Many of the products WRCC develops from this information involve water, one of the most important issues--climatically or otherwise--in the West. In cooperation with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, WRCC captures and presents information on daily snow water content, precipitation, observation time temperature, and the temperature range for the previous day. By using computers to convert this information into color-coded maps and graphs, WRCC provides the means to assess at a glance the water situation across the West.
 expected to vary in the course of a year. |
"We have somewhat of a
'range war' goin on with a neighbor of ours who refuses to prep our common
irrigation pump this spring on the grounds that it's likely to freeze.
The freeze and freeze-free graphs are simply invaluable" - California
farmer