Saturday, January 19, 2013

CoCoRaHS Follow Up

Wanted to share some 'after the rain' information.  Some of you had asked about reporting to CoCoRaHS and your work schedule conflicting.   I went back and reread the 'Getting Started' info.  Here is where my selective memory kicked in, you can report BEFORE 7 AM.  I must have blocked that part out.  You can report the reading anywhere from 5 AM - 9AM for it to be recorded on the map.  (So you early birds can get it done bright and early) If you report by 7 AM the amounts will be included in local weather report totals for the news.  Reports by 9 AM will be shown on the maps.   For those who might be away for a few days you also have the option of reports a multiple day accumulation of precipitation.

Our rainfall total for the rain from two days ago was less than I thought.  My rainfall total was 1.66 inches.  Further north, Greenville to Asheville and further west got a lot more... averaging about 3 inches.  Rainfall in Greenville affects us.   The lake levels have been crazy.  Here is a picture of our dock before it rained on the 15th.
Lots and lots of shoreline.  This is typical in the winter.  Our lake management brings the lake level down in the winter for the health of the lake.  The winter's lake level also allows us to clean up trash, repair docks, and explore the shoreline.   By sea level elevation the winter's low is supposed to be 434.5 feet above sea level.  The photo above is 434.5 ft.   Beginning January 31st the lake level is brought back up, slowly to what they call full pool, 439 feet.
Here is the lake yesterday-- at 437 ft.
Today the lake level is another foot higher!!  So rainfall upstream was enough to raise the level of the lake by three and a half feet!  We know the exact level because of the US Geological Survey website.  Check out the rise in water level in just a couple days!!

Not sure if they will lower the level much between now and January 31 when the level is supposed to come back up.   If it wasn't so cold we might be tempted to uncover the boat and go for a ride.
Was outside walking the yard and thought I would share an additional picture of the water.....water is real muddy but also quite high.
Saturday, January 19, 2013

©Copyright 2012 Janet. All rights reserved. Content created by Janet for The Queen of Seaford. words and photos by Janet,The Queen of Seaford.

36 comments:

  1. Is that a manmade lake? I've never seen lake levels rise and fall like that before.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Marguerite, yes, it is a manmade lake. It was part of the CCC work in the 1930's. It is a managed lake.

      Delete
  2. That is amazing. It's very warm here today so maybe you have taken the boat out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Carolyn @ Shade Gardens, it is amazing. Guess we missed out opportunity to go for a drive.

      Delete
  3. We got an amazing amount of rain here and some places in the Smokies got 14 inches this past week! Lots of flooding and rockslides in the area.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. NC Carolyn, I know you all got a lot of rain, the news covers your area. What a mess, saw some roads were washed out.

      Delete
  4. In Hildesheim our house is on a sort of 'island', and water in the rivers around once got so high that I signed a water assurance (normally now quite difficult to get). But your lake isn't near to your house?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Britta, When we lived in Virginia we had flood insurance which I guess is similar to water assuance. Here we are really high above the water. I think our house sits at an elevation of about 460 feet above sea level. The high water pictures are at 439 feet. We have a lot of room.

      Delete
  5. You have more coming, the Reedy is still above normal. I hope Hartwell got a bump too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Marian, Yes we got a bit more. They are taking their time letting out the water... lots of energy going through the turbines!

      Delete
  6. Janet
    Here is a third grade fact for you... ALL lakes in SC are man made. It is amazing to see how much the level of your shore line changed so fast.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. David, I knew many were, but didn't know that ALL are man made. Cool fact. thanks!

      Delete
  7. i will still have to wait until I retire as my morning commute is an hour so I have little time in the dark to report anything before I leave at 6:30...but I thank you for finding out...it is still on my radar and I love the whole idea!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Donna @GEV, I understand that!! When you do retire I hope you think about doing the rain gauge reporting.

      Delete
  8. What a paradise! I can just imagine sitting in those chairs by the water side. Perfection! When I first saw how low your lake level was, I was shocked - then you said it was normal for it to be low in the winter. Here, it is opposite. It gets low in summer, and fills up in winter. Unfortunately, our levels are still down this winter for all the lakes around here. Interesting how fast yours filled up, though. The last photo is perfect with the water by the rocks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Holley, thanks so much. I was down there enjoying the day on Saturday. I hope your lakes fill up this winter.

      Delete
  9. It is good to see that the water levels are getting back up in your area. What a beautiful sight.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lona, yes, though it wasn't supposed to come up until the end of January... so they are letting a good bit out.

      Delete
  10. The weather has been so nice that we could have taken many boat rides all winter long thus far. We were at the lake this weekend geocaching and it has risen about a foot but still 14 feet below normal pool and too low for us to launch. We shall keep our "Liquid Asset" covered up for now...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Skeeter, yes we could have. I saw that your lake was still low. Fifteen feet is a lot to make up for.

      Delete
  11. Hi Janet, I read back through the last post and noting the rainfall sounds like it would be an interesting assignment. I wonder if I could be disciplined enough to check the gauge on a daily basis? Hmm...I will have to consider that. I checked out the website and the program runs in Canada as well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jennifer, I am glad the program runs in Canada too!! You should give it a try. For me to drag my butt out of bed by nine am and read the gauge and report it isn't too hard. You could wait until the spring when the weather is a bit better.

      Delete
  12. That's a dramatic effect on your lake levels. Very cool graph and I still love my rain gauge. gail

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gail, it is very dramatic indeed. Have you done any reporting on your rainfall amounts?

      Delete
  13. That last shot is quite extraordinarily beautiful Janet, no wonder you toyed with going out in the boat, but brrrr...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Janet, Yes, going out on the water is a bit chillier than sitting in the sun on the patio.

      Delete
  14. I have a manmade pond, partly spring-fed and partly fed by a stream. The waterlevel was pretty consistent until - beavers! Now we have to clean out the overflow pipe with some regularity. Just about impossible in the frozen winter.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Commonweeder, Ours is fed by two rivers, the Saluda and the Reedy. We live on the Saluda branch. Oh beavers....UGH!!! We have some here as well. They seem to like some prized trees in my neighbor's yard.

      Delete
  15. That is remarkable! I've never lived on a lake, so I know nothing.

    You have a beautiful view!

    ReplyDelete
  16. So glad you are getting the rain to fill up not only your lake but others. It is looking good!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tina, we could use more rain again!! Amazing how we miss it so quickly.

      Delete
  17. Funny, your winter lake looks the way our lake looked in a summer drought! The lake I grew up on was just 33 acres though, and only had an earthen dam. I still miss it, seeing the ducks and the light shining on the water.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sweetbay, our winter lake is drawn down for the health of the lake and to accommodate the winter rains. In the summer we have a full lake as ours is not managed by Army Corps of Engineers but by the county.

      Delete
  18. Oh Janet, I'm so glad to see the lake rising! As gloomy as it was, we definitely needed that rain. Thank goodness! I love your reporting--it's so important to us gardeners. I think I might need to participate, too! Thanks for the info.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Julie, I know, it was pretty amazing. Yes, we could use some more rain too!!! You should report as well!

      Delete

If you use "Anonymous" please sign your name so I know who you are...there is a lot of spam out there. Thanks for visiting today. The Queen would be pleased if you left a comment...... :-D thanks! I do respond to your comments, you can click on the email followup comments to have it in your inbox.

I am now moderating all comments. Too much spam is coming through. Sorry folks.