The character of a winter can be defined by many of its features, including temperature averages and extremes, snowfall totals, snow depth, and the duration between onset and cessation of winter-weather conditions. The accumulated winter season severity index incorporates these elements into one site-specific value that defines the severity of a particular winter, especially when examined in the context of climatological values for that site. Thresholds of temperature, snowfall, and snow depth are assigned points that accumulate through the defined winter season; a parallel index uses temperature and precipitation to provide a snow proxy where snow data are unavailable or unreliable. The results can be analyzed like any other meteorological parameter to examine relationships to teleconnection patterns, determine trends, and create sector-specific applications, as well as to analyze an ongoing winter or any individual winter season to place its severity in context.
Corn is the most widely grown crop in the Americas, with annual production in the United States of approximately 332 million metric tons. Improved climate forecasts, together with climate-related decision tools for corn producers based on these improved forecasts, could substantially reduce uncertainty and increase profitability for corn producers. The purpose of this paper is to acquaint climate information developers, climate information users, and climate researchers with an overview of weather conditions throughout the year that affect corn production as well as forecast content and timing needed by producers. The authors provide a graphic depicting the climate-informed decision cycle, which they call the climate forecast-decision cycle calendar for corn.
Widespread frost or freeze events can cause extreme economic losses to the agriculture, horticulture, and nursery industries. Coordinated advance notice of an imminent freeze event can help minimize these losses. Forecasters can issue headlines ahead of these events if damage to susceptible vegetation is possible. Combining expertise among the forecasters and the vegetation specialists can provide a community collaborative opportunity that will inform the risks, susceptibility, and environmental conditions associated with frost and freeze impacts. The Midwestern Regional Climate Center has become the facilitator of this community collaboration effort through the development of the online Vegetation Impact Program and Frost/Freeze Guidance Project. This paper presents the development of these initiatives along with early results and findings.
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