Item: Climate-Scale Maps of Cold-Season Precipitation in the Mountainous Areas of Colorado for Operational Forecasting Applications
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Title: Climate-Scale Maps of Cold-Season Precipitation in the Mountainous Areas of Colorado for Operational Forecasting Applications
Proceedings: International Snow Science Workshop 2014 Proceedings, Banff, Canada
Authors:
- B.J. Marraccini [ PeakGIS LLC, Eldorado Springs, CO, USA ]
- Brian Lazar [ Colorado Avalanche Information Center, Boulder, CO, USA ]
- Ethan Greene [ Colorado Avalanche Information Center, Boulder, CO, USA ]
Date: 2014-09-29
Abstract: The PRISM precipitation model (v2014Jan) published by the PRISM Climate Group/NACSE provides a gridded (4km spatial resolution) estimate of monthly precipitation (mm) over conterminous United States derived from climate-elevation regressions which are weighted by topographic factors (such as elevation, aspect and terrain shadowing) and nearby weather station data. We have enhanced the PRISM gridded dataset using GIS technology by incorporating point precipitation values from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center's (CAIC) historical database. The data covers the water-year months of November through April, and was collected by ski area operators in Colorado and by the CAIC for highway avalanche forecasting operations. The result is a gridded dataset of long-term (1981-2010), cold-season precipitation for the Colorado mountains. The dataset includes mean precipitation values for both annual and winter months; variability - % of mean, standard deviation, and identifies outlier events. We used these data to produce a mapset that will help benefit daily weather and avalanche forecasting operations as well as increase our capability to characterize the snow and avalanche climate areas of Colorado.
Language of Article: English
Presenters:
Keywords: forecasting, precipitation, mapping, snow climate, GIS.
Page Number(s): 502-505
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Digital Abstract Not Available
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