| WX CHALLENGE | SNOW POOL | OTHER POOLS | PAST CONTESTS |
2010-2011 Snow Pool: Isaac Hankes is our clear winner this year!
RULES:
- WHAT, AND FOR WHERE AM I FORECASTING? Your challenge is to forecast (as many times as you would like) the total snowfall for Champaign-Urbana (in inches, TO THE NEAREST TENTH) during the 12Z 01 December 2010 - 12Z 15 April 2011 period.
- The number of forecasts per person is UNLIMITED!
- For a forecast template and instructions, click here (.doc) or here (.pdf).
- Verification will be obtained from the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, & Snow (CoCoRaHS) Daily Precipitation Reports. Daily averages (rounded to nearest tenth of an inch) of Champaign and Urbana "New Snow" reports will be computed whenever at least one 0.1" or greater "New Snow" report for either a Champaign or Urbana station exists. 'T' (i.e., trace) reports will be assumed 0.0", and 'NA' reports will be excluded from averaging. Only daily averages greater than or equal to 0.1" will be tabulated. The daily averages will then be summed to obtain the verification total.
- WHAT ARE THE DEADLINES?
- 00Z 30 NOV 2010: Forecasts must be emailed to ams-officers@atmos.uiuc.edu
- 00Z 07 DEC 2010: Payment must be received
- WHAT IS THE FEE, AND HOW CAN IT BE PAID?
- $3 per forecast
- Please make checks payable to "SCAMS."
- Payment can be made either in person or by mail.
- In Person: Please give payment to Nena Richards, DAS Secretary
- By Mail: Please send your payment to: Cody Fritz; Department of Atmospheric Sciences; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; 105 S. Gregory St., Urbana, IL 61801
- EMAIL SUBMISSIONS FOR WHICH PAYMENT IS NOT RECEIVED BY 00Z 07 DECEMBER 2010 WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE POOL.
- WHAT IS THE PRIZE, AND WHERE DOES THE REST OF THE MONEY GO? Three quarters of the proceeds from this Snow Pool will help fund activities and conference travel for SCAMS@UIUC. The remaining one quarter of the proceeds will be used to purchase a prize awarded to the person whose entry is closest to (above or below) the observed snowfall total. Ultimately, the monetary value of the prize will increase with the number of entries. In the case of a tie, the winners will receive equal prizes each with monetary value ~1/(# winners) of the one quarter of proceeds. The name(s) of the winner(s) will be emailed to all participants on tax day (’11), and he/she/they will be announced at the DAS spring picnic and posted on this website.
- Please direct any questions regarding the Snow Pool to: ams-officers@atmos.uiuc.edu
2009-2010 Snow Pool Total Snowfall: 25.3"
Winner: Dan Fisher
Note: Eric Meyers deemed ineligible because he recorded/saw 3 forecasts prior to submitting his forecasts
Itemized monthly snowfall totals:
NOVEMBER |
DECEMBER |
JANUARY |
FEBRUARY |
MARCH |
APRIL |
-- |
-- |
20 |
0.1" |
07 |
4.4" |
06 |
2.0" |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
21 |
0.4" |
08 |
2.4" |
09 |
4.3" |
||||||
26 |
0.2" |
19 |
0.1" |
10 |
1.1" |
||||||
27 |
1.8" |
26 |
0.7" |
15 |
2.1" |
||||||
28 |
2.5" |
28 |
0.7" |
16 |
0.7" |
||||||
31 |
0.5" |
20 |
1.2" |
||||||||
24 |
0.1" |
||||||||||
total |
total |
total |
total |
total |
total |
||||||
0.0" |
5.5" |
8.3" |
11.5" |
0.0" |
0.0" |
||||||
TOTAL |
|||||||||||
25.3" |
Click *HERE* for daily itemization of the averages tabulated above. Note that only days for which at least one 0.1" or greater "New Snow" report for either a Champaign or Urbana station existed are included in the spreadsheet. Note also that only the daily averages (rounded to nearest tenth of an inch) that are greater than or equal to 0.1" are tabulated above.
last (final 2009-2010) update: 15 April 2010
2008-2009 Snow Pool Total Snowfall: 17.0"
Winners: Andy Vanloocke and Dan Harnos (tie)
Thank You for a record high participation – 42 forecasts!
Itemized monthly snowfall totals:
NOVEMBER |
DECEMBER |
JANUARY |
FEBRUARY |
MARCH |
APRIL |
30 |
2.3" |
01 |
1.3" |
07 |
0.1" |
03 |
1.1" |
-- |
-- |
06 |
0.5" |
02 |
0.2" |
12 |
0.1" |
14 |
0.3" |
04 |
0.1" |
13 |
0.1" |
19 |
0.2" |
06 |
0.3" |
14 |
3.9" |
07 |
0.1" |
15 |
0.1" |
17 |
1.0" |
19 |
0.3" |
25 |
0.1" |
26 |
0.8" |
28 |
4.1" |
total |
total |
total |
total |
total |
total |
2.3" |
3.0" |
9.6" |
1.6" |
0.0" |
0.5" |
TOTAL |
17.0" |
Click *HERE* for daily itemization of the averages tabulated above. Note that only days for which at least one 0.1" or greater "New Snow" report for either a Champaign or Urbana station existed are included in the spreadsheet. Note also that only the daily averages (rounded to nearest tenth of an inch) that are greater than or equal to 0.1" are tabulated above.
last (final 2008-2009) update: 15 April 2009
2007-2008 Snow Pool Total Snowfall: 26.6"
Winner: Steve Nesbitt
Monthly Itemization of 2007-2008 Snowfall Totals (averaged from Boneyard Champaign and Urbana reporting stations):
NOVEMBER |
DECEMBER |
JANUARY |
FEBRUARY |
MARCH |
APRIL |
-- |
-- |
05 |
0.4" |
02 |
0.2" |
01 |
6.9" |
05 |
1.4" |
-- |
-- |
06 |
0.1" |
22 |
0.3" |
02 |
0.1" |
||||||
07 |
2.0" |
24 |
0.1" |
11 |
0.2" |
||||||
15 |
0.3" |
30 |
0.1" |
20 |
1.0" |
||||||
16 |
6.2" |
22 |
1.2" |
||||||||
23 |
3.7" |
||||||||||
26 |
1.1" |
||||||||||
27 |
0.2" |
||||||||||
29 |
1.1" |
||||||||||
total |
total |
total |
total |
total |
total |
||||||
0.0" |
9.0" |
0.7" |
15.5" |
1.4" |
0.0" |
||||||
TOTAL |
|||||||||||
26.6" |
Average Annual Snowfall (1971-2000):
NOV |
2.1" |
DEC |
6.1" |
JAN |
8.6" |
FEB |
5.5" |
MAR |
3.3" |
APR |
0.5" |
TOTAL= |
26.1" |
source: http://www.isws.illinois.edu/atmos/statecli/cuweather/cu-averages.htm
WX-CHALLENGE:
Our department has a group of people forecasting in the national forecast contest, "The Weather Challenge." It follows the school year pretty well so you don't have to worry about forecasting during finals or over breaks. Undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff, and alumni are eligible. Our manager is Wendi Kaufeld; send her an e-mail at: kaufeld2 at atmos.uiuc.edu if you're interested in joining. It's only $3/semester or $5/year.
Other Pools:
Other pools that have been run in the past have involved forecasting the number of hurricanes, tropical storms, and tropical depressions over the year.