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By Sharon Omahen
University of Georgia
A series of rain showers put a damper on Memorial Day picnics and
kept students from enjoying the first week of their summer break.
The rain was a welcomed sight, however, for farmers and
gardeners.
Data from the University of Georgia Automated Environmental
Monitoring Network shows that south Georgia got the most rain
from May 29 through June 4.
60 stations statewide
The UGA AEMN is a network of 60 weather stations across the
state. The stations monitor daily rainfall, air and soil
temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation, air pressure and
wind direction.
The information is updated at least hourly and posted to the
network's Web site (www.Georgiaweather.net).
The highest total recorded from May 29 through June 4 was in
Alma, Ga., where 6.75 inches fell. In other south Georgia areas,
the rains brought 5.07 inches to Dearing, 4.98 to Valdosta, 4.78
inches to Attapulgus and 4.19 to Statesboro.
History-making rainfall
"Rainfall recorded by our network in these areas is three
times the historical average for this time of year," said Joel
Paz, an Extension agrometeorologist with the UGA College of
Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. "The historical period
for our system is from 1971 to 2000."
In comparison, central and northeast Georgia cities received less
than 4 inches of rain. The weather network recorded 3.91 inches
in Athens, 3.28 inches in Eatonton and 3.24 inches in Griffin.
North Georgia cities like LaFayette (1.61), Calhoun (1.08) and
Rome (0.97) had less rain.
Paz says the AEMN weather stations use a much more sophisticated
collecting system than backyard rain gauges.
"Each weather site has a rain collecting cup that collects
one-hundredth of an inch of rain and then tips to empty," he
said. "The computer system records each tip to determine how much
rain fell on a given day at each site."
The UGA weather network was developed in 1991. It's the
brainchild of UGA CAES professor Gerrit Hoogenboom.
A wide array of uses
Hoogenboom's original goal was to have one station at each of
UGA's nine agricultural experiment stations. Thirteen years and
60 weather stations later, he now hopes to eventually have a
station in every county.
"The first weather stations were installed for UGA scientists to
use for their research," Hoogenboom said. "Now, every day, we're
hearing of new, unique ways people are using the real-time
weather data we collect, from helping predict propane demand to
helping farmers know the right time to apply chemical controls."
(Sharon Omahen is a news editor with the University of
Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.)
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