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Dear Florida Climate Center Friends,
We'd like to present you with the May 2011 edition of our newsletter. In this newsletter, you'll find our monthly climate summary, special events that our staff will be at and attended, some information about our participation in a national drought forum, and an example of a data request made to the office. If you have any questions, please email us at climate@coaps.fsu.edu.
Thanks,
The Staff of the Florida Climate Center
 |  |  |  | David Zierden
State Climatologist | James O'Brien
Professor Emeritus | Melissa Griffin
Asst. State Climatologist | Preston Leftwich
Research Assistant |
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 Find Us on Facebook!
You can now 'like' the Florida Climate Center on Facebook! By joining our Facebook page, the latest Florida Climate Center news items will automatically show up in your "news feed" when you first login to Facebook. To join, click the link below, then click the "like" button on our Facebook page.
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Florida Climate Center Takes Part in WFSU Environmental Minute Radio Program
"Environm ental Minute" is a new radio program sponsored by The Florida Climate Institute, The Florida State University College of Arts and Sciences, and the FSU Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science. Each week starting May 1, an expert from FSU answers a question relating to environmental issues across the state. Both State Climatologist David Zierden and Assistant State Climatologist Melissa Griffin are recording answers to be aired this summer. The segment airs on Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:04am on WFSU 88.9FM. Archives are posted at http://wfsu.org/environmental.
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State Climatologist Attends U.S. Drought Forum
State Climatologist David Zierden attended the U.S. Drought Monitor Forum April 13-14 at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. The U.S. Drought Monitor is a product of the National Drought Mitigation Center and the National Weather Service, and includes a weekly map depicting the severity of drought down to a local scale. Local experts, including many State Climatologists, provide input for the product through an email list-serve. At the forum, David Zierden represented the newly formed Florida Drought Monitoring Group made up of representatives from many of our state's National Weather Service Forecast Offices and some of Florida's water management districts. Tools and data that go into the weekly Drought Monitor were discussed, and David Zierden presented on the nature of drought in Florida and how the Florida group was brought together.
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Assistant State Climatologist Out and About in Local Area
Assistant State Climatologist Melissa Griffin appeared at numerous community events in April. On April 6, she attended the FSU Campus Earth Day, where she talked about the CoCoRaHS program and answered general questions about the climate of Florida. On April 12, she took part in FSU Day at the Capitol, alongside representatives from the FSU Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies and the Florida Climate Institute. And on April 16, she traveled down to St. Teresa, FL, for the FSU Coastal & Marine Laboratory Open House. Finally, on April 28, Ms. Griffin went back to the Capitol to meet with families participating in the Agency for Workforce Innovation's Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. It was quite a busy month and Ms. Griffin sends out a special thanks to everyone who stopped by to visit with her! |
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Example Data Request Each month, we highlight here recent examples of some of the many public services provided by the Florida Climate Center:
 Our office was contacted earlier this month by a private citizen looking for information about heating and cooling degree days for the Jacksonville Beach area. A heating degree day (HDD) is a measurement designed to reflect the demand for energy needed to heat a home or business, whereas a cooling degree day (CDD) represents the energy needed to cool a space. It's calculated by seeing how far the mean daily temperature departs from a base temperature of 65˚F.The citizen who contact us had installed solar panels in 2009 and wanted to analyze his energy consumption and efficiency over the last two years.
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About Us
The Florida Climate Center is part of a three-tiered system of national, regional, and state climate offices, including NOAA's National Climatic Data Center and the Southeast Regional Climate Center. The Florida State Climatologist and other staff at the Florida Climate Center provide the following information and services to the people of Florida:
· Climate Data:
Historical weather observations for weather stations throughout the state of Florida. We are able to provide data for most stations from 1948-present.
· Climate Information:
Long-term historical averages for various stations, climate divisions, and the entire state.
· Extreme Event Records:
Information and analyses on extreme events such as freezes, droughts, floods and hurricanes.
· Special Analysis:
With their vast knowledge of El Niņo, La Niņa and climate variability, the State Climatologist and staff can offer expert insight into Florida's climate trends.
· Outreach:
Activities, presentations, and workshops that inform and educate the people of Florida about current and emerging climate issues. We also coordinate volunteers for the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network (CoCoRaHS).
More About Us |
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