Definitions:
Water Year: October 1 to September 30
Normal: The 1971-2000 average.
% of Normal: The current value as percent of the current date’s normal.
% of Normal Peak: The current value as % of the normal seasonal peak
for the year.
% of Normal to Date: In the case of precipitation, the current sub-seasonal
total as % of the normal sub-seasonal total.
Example: October 1-March 13 2005 / October 1 – March 13 Normal
Example: March 1-March 13 2005 / March 1 – March 13 Normal
% of Monthly/Annual Total Normal: In the case of precipitation, the current
sub-seasonal total as % of the normal seasonal total.
Example: October 1-March 13 2005 / October 1 – September 30 Normal
Example: March 1-March 13 2005 / March 1 – March 31 Normal
Percentile: Ranking with respect to data on the same day of the year for
other years in the period of record. The ranking percentile is equal to the
fraction of available years whose data is less than the current year’s value.
100% means that all other years are less than the present value. 0% means that
all other years are greater than or equal to the present value.
Record: Is the current value a record or near record for the date? For
example, a “new record high” means that the current value is now the highest
value on record. A “near record high” means that the current value is exceeded
or tied by only one other value on record. This is not necessarily an all-season
record.
Anomaly: For temperature, the departure of the current value from the median
of data on the same day of the year for other years in the period of record.
SNOTEL: The network of mid to high elevation automated sensing stations
maintained by the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
ACIS: Data served by the Regional Climate Centers and the NOAA National
Climate Data Center’s “Applied Climate Information System”. This includes the
Cooperative Observer Network, the Hourly Surface Airways Network and the
Historical Climatology Network and other regional networks.
PRISM: The "Parameter-Elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model" is a knowledge-based system that uses point measurements of
precipitation, temperature, and other climate elements to produce continuous,
digital coverages. These products were developed through a partnership between
the NRCS National Water and Climate Center (NWCC) and the
Spatial Climate Analysis Service (SCAS) at
Oregon State University (OSU).
For More Information Contact:
Tom Pagano or
Jennifer Erxleben
