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Hydrologists and climatologists often use the "Water Year" calendar for tracking water resources. While the definition may vary regionally, a common definition of "water year" is October 1 through September 30th. In the cool months, evaporation rates are very low, snow accumulates in cold regions, storms tend to be widespread, and most areas see accumulation of moisture in the soil. Then comes spring with it's accompanying snow melt and high runoff from mountainous regions and higher latitudes. The summer months bring high evaporation rates. Precipitation (much from thunderstorms) becomes much more localized. Soil moisture may be gradually depleted during summer as vegetation uses large volumes of water. Streams run slower and clearer.
CoCoRaHS
recommends this water year calendar for tabulating precipitation
amounts. If you are a CoCoRaHS observer, you can download the water year summary report for your station(s) from here or the "My Account" link in the top menu.
Don't have Excel?This blog post describes the options listed below:
View Excel files online without Microsoft Excel installed
Google Docs is a free online option that can import Excel files.
OpenOffice is free office software and includes a spreadsheet program that is compatible with Excel.
Please contact us at info@cocorahs.org with any questions or suggestions you have about the water year summaries or editing your reports.
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