FAWN eNewsletter Fall 2013

CLIMATE SUMMARY

Average temperatures varied during October across the entire state, though most stations reported above normal temperatures. Rainfall was below normal for the most part, with a few stations reporting near/above normal amounts. Neutral ENSO (El Nino Southern Oscillation) conditions continue and are forecasted to continue through Spring 2014. The Climate Prediction Center forecasts normal temperatures and below normal precipitation for the state through January. Click here to see the complete summary.

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Website Enhancements

The FAWN website has been reprogrammed to better accommodate mobile devices. Whether viewed on a computer, tablet, or smartphone, it will display all available information in a way that best fits the screen. Also, several additional parameters can be viewed on the Homepage map, wet bulb temperature, weekly rainfall, and a 12-hour forecasted minimum temperature, for example.

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Tool Enhancements/Additions

• Freeze Alert Tool The FAWN Freeze Alert Tool now includes ALL FAWN stations. With this tool, you can receive text messages when critical conditions occur at any user-selected FAWN station.

• Forecast Tracker - The FAWN Forecast Tracker has been reprogrammed to work on all Internet-capable devices, including tablets and smartphones. This gives the user the flexibility to use this tool in the field.

• Citrus Pesticide Tool - Make better decisions related to applying chemicals with the FAWN Citrus Pesticide Tool. This tool displays forecasts of wind speed and rainfall on a graph and in a table. There is also a printable form for record keeping.

• Hay Curing Tool (Beta) - FAWN is developing a tool that shows past and forecasted values of several parameters useful in determining the optimal length of time to cure cut hay. We welcome feedback on how to make the tool most useful.

• Vegetable Irrigation Scheduler - Retrieve a 2-week irrigation schedule for summer squash, tomatoes, and watermelons with this tool.

• Interactive Irrigation Scheduler - Get a detailed analysis of your water use over the previous week with the FAWN Interactive Irrigation Tool. Submit site-specific information about your landscape, and FAWN will send you a weekly email that evaluates your water usage over the previous week using real-time data from the closest FAWN station.

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What’s Happening in the Field?

The FAWN Field Team has been very busy installing and relocating stations. Here are the details:

• Dade City - The Brooksville station was relocated to Pasco High School in Dade City.

• St. Lucie West - Fort Pierce was recently relocated further inland to better serve area growers, and renamed St. Lucie West.

• Defuniak Springs - New installation in northern Walton County funded by FDACS to provide better panhandle coverage.

• Mayo - New installation in Lafayette County funded by FDACS to provide better big-bend coverage.

• Lecanto - New installation funded by FDACS located in the agricultural teaching area at Lecanto High School in Citrus county.

• Okeechobee - New installation funded by FDACS located on South Florida Water Management District north of Okeechobee.

• Wellington - New installation funded by FDACS located on South Florida Water Management District in western Palm Beach county. Back to top^

Outreach

FAWN will be participating in several winter weather seminars over the next month. Below are the details:

• December 10th - East central Florida Winter Weather School, Tavares. Information can be found here

• December 11th - Winter Weather School, 10am - 12pm in Dade City. Please contact Cami McAvoy at 352-793-2728 for more information

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