Three Hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin on Sept. 7, 2017, Including Powerful Irma

As of 10 a.m. EDT on September 7, 2017, three hurricanes were in the South Altantic Basin and were heading for predicted landfalls in the Caribbean Sea area, in Mexico, or on the U.S. southeastern coast.  Hurricanes Irma (Category 5 at this time), Jose (Category 1 at this time), and Katia (Category 1 at this time) are shown in the photo below, accessed from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), online at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/gtwo.php?basin=atlc&fdays=2, at 10:15 a.m. EDT on 9/7/17.

Hurricane Irma is a powerful storm threatening “catastrophic” damage, according to the NHC.  Following are the “key messages” on Irma from the NHC’s “Hurricane Irma Forecast Discussion” as of 9/7/17 at 5 a.m. EDT (online at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCDAT1+shtml/071054.shtml?).

“1. Irma is a potentially catastrophic category 5 hurricane and will bring life-threatening wind, storm surge, and rainfall hazards to the northern coast of Hispaniola today, the Turks and Caicos tonight, and the Bahamas tonight through Saturday.

“2. A hurricane watch is in effect much of Cuba.  Irma is likely to bring dangerous wind, storm surge, and rainfall to portions of these areas on Friday and Saturday.

“3. The threat of direct hurricane impacts in Florida over the weekend and early next week continues to increase.  Hurricane watches will likely be issued for portions of the Florida Keys and the Florida peninsula later this morning.”

Information about the current status, predicted tracks, and actual and potential impacts for the current storms (and other tropical cyclones) is available from the NHC online at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/.

Another photo of Irma, plus a graph of the storm’s predicted track as of 8 a.m. EDT, are shown below.

Hurricane Irma centered over the island of Hispanola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), 9/7/17, 9:45 a.m. EDT (1345Z of UTC).  Photo taken from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Web site at http://www.goes.noaa.gov/browsh.html, on 9/7/17, 10:30 a.m. EDT.

Predicted range of the track of the center of Hurricane Irma, as of 8 a.m. EDT (same as AST), September 7, 2017.  Image accessed from National Hurricane Center, online at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/graphics_at1.shtml?cone#contents, 9/7/17, 10:45 a.m. EDT.

A Water Conference Sampler from around the United States and Elsewhere – September 6, 2017, Edition; Updated Sep. 21

Here are some water-related meetings in the United States and other countries in coming months, followed by notes for events that recur annually, listed by the month the event typically occurs.

This post is updated as the Virginia Water Resources Research Center learns of new events and a new version is re-posted at least quarterly.  If you would like an event added, please send basic information (date, location, event title, event organizer, Web site, and contact information) to water@vt.edu with subject line: For Water Central Editor.

Some of the information for this edition was provided by the Virginia Water Monitoring Council (VWMC), supported in part by grants from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s Citizen Monitoring Grant Program and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the Virginia Department of Health.  More information about the VWMC is available online at http://www.vwmc.vwrrc.vt.edu/.

This post is for non-Virginia events; for water meetings and other events in the Old Dominion, please see the Virginia Water Resources Research Center’s online Quick Guide to Virginia Water-related Events.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, W. Va. (shown here in Sep. 2014) annually hosts many water-related meetings, including the Chesapeake Watershed Forum each September.

2017 Events

 

Sep. 24-28, Syracuse, N.Y.: World Canals Conference 2017.  Organized by the National Park Service, the City of Syracuse, and the New York State Canal Corporation.  More information: http://wcc2017syracuse.com/.

Sep. 27-29, 2017, Boston, Mass.: Groundwater Protection Council 2017 Annual Forum.  More information: http://www.gwpc.org/events/2017-annual-forum.

Sep. 29-Oct. 1, 2017, Shepherdstown, West. Va.: Tri-State Native Plant Conference.  Organized by the Virginia Native Plant Society, the Maryland Native Plant Society, and the West Virginia Native Plant Society.  More information: http://vnps.org/tri-state-native-plant-conference-2017/; phone (540) 837-1600 (Boyce, Va.); e-mail: vnps.org@gmail.com.

Sep. 30-Oct. 4, 2017, Chicago, Ill.: Water Environment Federation Technical Exhibition & Conference (WEFTEC) 2017.  More information: http://www.weftec.org/abstracts.

Oct. 10-12, 2017, Avon, Colo.: 2017 Sustaining Colorado Watersheds Conference.  This year’s theme is “Coming Together–The Confluence of Science and Society.”  Organized by the Colorado Watershed Assembly, Colorado Foundation for Water Education, and Colorado Riparian Association.  More information: http://www.coloradowater.org/scw-conference-2017/; phone (720) 722-4213; e-mail: info@coloradowater.org.

Oct. 11-13, 2017, Louisville, Ky.: 12^th Annual Southeast Regional Stormwater Conference.  Organized by the Southeast Stormwater Association.  More information: https://seswa.memberclicks.net/future-and-past-conferences; (866) 367-7379 (Tallahassee, Fla.); e-mail: seswa@ksanet.net.

Oct. 12-13, 2017, National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, West Va.: 2017 Mid-Atlantic Water Resources Conference.  Hosted by the West Virginia Water Research Institute (at West Virginia University), in collaboration with the Delaware Water Resources Center (at the University of Delaware), the Pennsylvania Water Resources Research Center (at Penn State), and the Virginia Water Resources Research Center (at Virginia Tech). Abstracts for presentation proposals due March 27, 2017.  More information: visit http://midatlanticwrc.org/, or email: wvwaterconference@mail.wvu.edu.

Oct. 18-20, 2017, Milwaukee, Wisc.: Navigating the Future of Water–Charting a Vision for American Cities.  Organized by the University of Milwaukee-Wisconsin.  More information: http://uwm.edu/water/; Lynn Wilk, (414) 229-6917, lcwilk@uwm.edu.

Oct. 18-21, 2017, San Juan, Puerto Rico: Annual conference of the North American Association for Environmental Education.  More information: https://naaee.org/conference; phone: (202) 419-0412 (Washington, D.C.).

Oct. 31-Nov. 2, 2017 – Wilmington, N.C.: Bottomland and Swamp Forests Symposium.  Organized by  the North Carolina State University.  More information: https://projects.ncsu.edu/mckimmon/cpe/opd/bottomland/index.html; or e-mail aj.lang@ncagr.gov.

Nov. 3-5, 2017, National Conservation Training Center, Shepherdstown, W. Va.: Chesapeake Watershed Forum.  Organized by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay.  More information: https://www.allianceforthebay.org/our-work/key-program-focuses/networking-education/chesapeake-watershed-forum/; (804) 775-0951 (Virginia office) or contact@allianceforthebay.org.

Nov. 5-9, 2017, Portland, Ore: American Water Resources Association Annual Conference.  More information: http://www.awra.org/meetings/Portland2017/; (540) 687-8390 (Middleburg, Va.); e-mail: info@awra.org.

Nov. 6-9, 2017, Westminster, Colo.:  37th International Symposium of the North American Lake Management Society (NALMS).  More information: https://www.nalms.org/nalms2017/ ; phone (608) 233-2836 (Madison, Wisc.).

Nov. 8-11, 2017, Baltimore, Md.: Ninth Symposium on Harmful Algae in the U.S.  This year’s theme is “Training the Next Generation.”  More information: https://www.9thushab.com/; or contact Dr. Allen Place, (410) 234-8828.

Nov. 15-19, 2017, Albuquerque, N.M.: Society of American Foresters National Convention.  More information http://www.eforester.org/safconvention; (301) 897-8720 (Bethesda, Md.); e-mail: membership@safnet.org.

December 8, 2017, North Linthicum, Md.: Maryland Water Monitoring Council Annual Conference.  This year’s theme is “Managing Water Quality in a Changing World.”  More information: http://dnr.maryland.gov/streams/Pages/MWMC/conference.aspx; or contact Dan Boward at dan.boward@maryland.gov.

Dec. 2017, New Orleans, La.: American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting. More information: http://meetings.agu.org/upcoming-meetings/.

2018 Events

Jan. 7-11, 2018, Austin, Tex.: American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting.  More information: https://annual.ametsoc.org/2018/; phone 617-226-3916; e-mail: meetings@ametsoc.org.

Jan. 8, 2018, Austin, Tex.: 46th Conference on Broadcast Meteorology.  Organized by the American Meteorological Society.  More information: https://annual.ametsoc.org/2018/index.cfm/programs/conferences-and-symposia/46th-conference-on-broadcast-meteorology/; phone 617-226-3916; e-mail: meetings@ametsoc.org.

Feb. 20-23, 2018, San Antonio, Tex.: Utility Management Conference 2018.  Organized by the American Water Works Association and Water Environment Federation in cooperation with the Water Environment Association of Texas.  More information: http://www.wef.org/events/conferences/upcoming-conferences/Utilitymanagement2018/; or phone the Water Environment Federation at (800) 666-0206 (Alexandria, Va.).

March 2018, Raleigh, N.C.: Annual Conference of the Water Resources Research Institute of the University of North Carolina.  More information: https://wrri.ncsu.edu/wrri-events/annual-conference/.

June 2018, Nebraska (dates and specific location to be announced): University of Nebraska-Lincoln Water Center’s annual Water and Natural Resources Tour.  More information: http://unlcms.unl.edu/ianr/water-for-food/nebraska-water-center/conferences-and-events.

Jun. 26-28, 2018, Pittsburgh, Penn.: Universities Council on Water Resources (UCOWR)/ National Institutes for Water Resources (NIWR) Conference.  More information: http://ucowr.org/conferences.

Annually Recurring Events

(Shown is the month(s) each year when the event is normally held; specific dates change each year, and locations may change.)

January: annual meeting of the American Meteorological Society. More information: https://www2.ametsoc.org/ams/index.cfm/meetings-events/.

February, Washington, D.C.: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting.  More information: http://meetings.aaas.org/.

February, even years (next 2018): Ocean Sciences Meeting. Organized by the American Geophysical Union, the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, and the Oceanography Society. More information: http://osm.agu.org/2016/.

February, Amarillo, Tex.: Annual High Plains Irrigation Conference and Trade Show.  Organized by the Texas A&M University Agrilife Research and Extension Center.  More information: http://amarillo.tamu.edu/high-plains-irrigation-conference/; phone (806) 677-5644.

Late February or early March, Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Annual International Conference on Water Management Modeling.  Organized by Computational Hydraulics International (CHI) of Guelph, Ontario.  More information: http://www.chiwater.com/Training/Conferences/conferencetoronto.asp.

March: Multi-State Salinity Coalition Annual Salinity Summit.  More information: http://multi-statesalinitycoalition.com/events/.

March: North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference. Organized by the Wildlife Management Institute.  More information: http://www.wildlifemanagementinstitute.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=348&Itemid=61.

March, Lincoln, Neb.:  Annual symposium of the Nebraska Water Center, and  annual Nebraska Water Law Conference.  More information: http://watercenter.unl.edu/ConferencesEvents.asp; (402) 472-3305; waterinfo@unl.edu.

March or April, Washington, D.C.: National Environmental Policy Forum.  Organized by the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, Water Environment Federation, and Water Environment Research Foundation.  More information: http://www.nacwa.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7&Itemid=4.

April: Annual Northeast Fish & Wildlife Conference. More information: http://www.neafwa.org/.

April, Lincoln, Neb.: Annual Water for Food Global Conference.  More information: http://waterforfood.nebraska.edu/conference-and-events/; phone (402) 472-5145; e-mail: waterforfood@nebraska.edu.

April: National Hurricane Conference.  More information: http://hurricanemeeting.com/.

April, Rapid City, S.D.: Western South Dakota Hydrology Meeting. Organized by the U.S. Geological Survey’s South Dakota Water Science Center and several partners.  More information: http://sd.water.usgs.gov/WSDconf/; Janet Carter, (605) 394-3215 or jmcarter@usgs.gov.

April through September: Workshops by North Carolina State University Stream Restoration Program.  For more information click on the individual links below or go to http://www.ncsu.edu/srp/rivercourse.html; or contact Cathy Smith at (919) 515-6780 or cathy_smith@ncsu.edu.

May: World Environmental and Water Resources Congress.  Organized by the American Society of Civil Engineers.  More information: http://www.ewricongress.org; (800) 548-2723.

May:  National Monitoring Conference. Organized by the National Water Quality Monitoring Council.  More information: http://acwi.gov/monitoring/conference/2016/.

May: Annual conference of the Choose Clean Water Coalition (a group of some 200 organizations in the Chesapeake Bay watershed; based in Annapolis, Md.).  More information http://choosecleanwater.org/; (443) 759-3407; info@choosecleanwater.org.

May or Jun.: annual Congress of the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society.  More information: http://congress.cmos.ca/.

June: Annual conference of the Universities Council on Water Resources (UCOWR), the National Institutes for Water Resources (NIWR), and the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. (CUAHSI).  More information: http://ucowr.org/conferences; or contact UCOWR at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, (618) 536-7571 or ucowr@siu.edu.

June: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Water Center’s annual Water and Natural Resources Tour.  More information: http://unlcms.unl.edu/ianr/water-for-food/nebraska-water-center/conferences-and-events.

June: American Water Works Association’s Annual Conference & Exposition.  More information: http://www.awwa.org/conferences-education/conferences/annual-conference.aspx.

June: Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society Congress.  More information: http://congress.cmos.ca/.

June or July: National Marine Educators Association annual conference.  More information: http://www.marine-ed.org/?page=events; phone (844) 687-6632; e-mail: nmea@marine-ed.org.

June or July: Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference.  Organized by the American Chemical Society.  More information: http://www.gcande.org/.

July or August: Soil and Water Conservation Society’s Annual Conference.  More information: http://www.swcs.org/en/conferences/.

August: American Fisheries Society Annual Conference.  More information: http://afsannualmeeting.fisheries.org/.

August: Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting. More information: http://esa.org.

August: Colorado Water Congress Summer Conference and Membership Meeting.  More information: http://www.cowatercongress.org/summer-conference.html; phone (303) 837-0812.

August or September: American Meteorological Society annual conference on radar meteorology.   More information: https://www.ametsoc.org/ams/index.cfm/meetings-events/; phone (617) 227-2425 (Boston, Mass.); e-mail: amsinfo@ametsoc.org.

September, National Conservation Training Center, Shepherdstown, W. Va.: Chesapeake Watershed Forum.  Organized by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay.  More information: https://allianceforthebay.org/our-work/engaging-local-communities/chesapeake-watershed-forum/; (804) 775-0951 (Virginia office) or contact@allianceforthebay.org.

September: Water Environment Federation’s Annual Technical Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC).  More information: http://www.weftec.org/meetings_events/default.aspx.

September: Groundwater Protection Council Annual Forum and National Rural Water Association’s (NWRA) WaterPro Conference.  More information: http://waterproconference.org/.

September or October: National States Geographic Information Council Annual Conference. More information: https://www.nsgic.org/upcoming-

October: Maryland Water Monitoring Council Annual Conference.  More information: http://dnr2.maryland.gov/streams/Pages/MWMC/conference.aspx.

October, St. Paul, Minn.  Annual conference of the University of Minnesota Water Resources Center.  More information: http://www.wrc.umn.edu/.

October: South Carolina Water Resources Conference.  Organized by Clemson University Public Service Activities.  More information: http://www.clemson.edu/public/sc_water_resources/index.html.

October: Annual Southeast Stormwater Association Regional Stormwater Conference.  More information: https://seswa.memberclicks.net/annual-conference.

October or November: GIS-Pro – Annual conference of the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association. More information: http://www.urisa.org/.

November: American Water Resources Association (AWRA) Annual Conference.  More information: http://www.awra.org/index.html.

November: Society of American Foresters National Convention. More information: http://www.xcdsystem.com/safconference/website/.

November: Joint annual meeting of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.  More information: https://www.acsmeetings.org/.

November, South Carolina: International Conference on Shellfish Restoration.  Organized by South Carolina Sea Grant.  More information: http://www.scseagrant.org/content/?cid=297; phone (843) 953-2078.

Quick Guide to Virginia Water-related Events – September 6, 2017, Edition

One of Virginia’s most distinctive water-related events: the annual James River Batteau Festival, launched every June in Lynchburg, Va.  Shown above is the launch on June 15, 2013.  The 32nd annual festival ran June 17-24, 2017.

This post lists conferences, meetings, and other events related to Virginia’s water resources and held in Virginia (in  most cases; nearby out-of-state events are occasionally included).  Except for online meetings or seminars, the events here typically are at least several hours long (for example, this site does not list the frequent one-hour water-related seminars held at Virginia colleges or universities).  This post is updated as information becomes available and is re-posted monthly.

This list does not include Virginia government meetings related to water (except for a listing of the dates of the Virginia General Assembly, which starts each January).  The News Grouper blog has a post on those meetings each week, at  https://vawatercentralnewsgrouper.wordpress.com/?s=Water-related+Government.

For water-related meetings outside of Virginia, please see the Grouper post, “A Water Conference Sampler from around the United States and Elsewhere,” re-posted quarterly.

Thanks to the Virginia Water Monitoring Council (VWMC) for providing some of the information in this post.  More information about the VWMC is available online at http://www.vwmc.vwrrc.vt.edu/

For links to events lists from several other organizations, please see the bottom of this post.

Continuing through September 2017 (began in March): Annual Landowner Weekend Retreats.  Organized by the Virginia Forest Landowner Education Program (Virginia Cooperative Extension).  More information: http://www.forestupdate.frec.vt.edu/landownerprograms/retreats/index.html; Jennifer Gagnon at (540) 231-6391 or jgagnon@vt.edu.

Continuing through November 1, 2017 (began March 15), statewide: Virginia Household Water Quality Program drinking-water clinics.  People who rely on private wells, springs, or cisterns can get their water tested inexpensively for key constituents and receive a report interpreting the results.  The cost to participate in 2016 was $52.  A list of upcoming clinics in 2017 had not been announced as of 1/5/17; keep an eye on this Web site: http://www.wellwater.bse.vt.edu/events.php.  For more information, contact Erin James Ling, at (540) 231-9058 or wellwater@vt.edu.

Sep. 1-Oct. 31, 2017, statewide: Virginia Waterways Cleanup.  Organized by Clean Virginia Waterways at Longwood University.  This is a series of local beach, bay, river, stream, lake, and pond cleanups across the state.  2016 is the 22nd year that the organization has coordinated the Virginia cleanup as part of the International Coastal Cleanup, organized by the Ocean Conservancy.  More information: http://www.longwood.edu/cleanva/; (434) 395-2602 or cleanva@longwood.edu.

Sep. 11-12, 2017, Richmond: Training Course for Certified Municipal Stormwater Inspector (CSI-MS4).  Organized by the National Stormwater Center (headquartered in Bel-Air, Md.).  More information: https://www.npdes.com/event/csi-ms4-richmond-va/; phone (772) 288-6852; e-mail:  info@npdes.com.

Sep. 15-16, 2017, Blacksburg: Virginia Tech College of Natural Resources and Environment’s 25th anniversary celebration.  More information: https://cnre.vt.edu/events/25years/index.html; phone (540) 231-5482; e-mail: cnre@vt.edu.

Sep. 29-Oct. 1, 2017, Shepherdstown, West. Va.: Tri-State Native Plant Conference.  [Not in Virginia, but close and relevant.]  Organized by the Virginia Native Plant Society, the Maryland Native Plant Society, and the West Virginia Native Plant Society.  More information: http://vnps.org/tri-state-native-plant-conference-2017/; phone (540) 837-1600 (Boyce, Va.); e-mail: vnps.org@gmail.com.

Sep. 17, 2017, Virginia Beach: Elizabeth River RIVERFest. This year’s theme is “Discover the Lost Eastern Branch.”  Organized by the Elizabeth River Project. More information: www.elizabethriverfest.org; or contact Susan Smith at (757) 399-7487 or ssmith@elizabethriver.org.

Oct. 10-12, 2017, Northern Virginia 4-H Education Center, Front Royal: 2017 Virginia Environmental Education Conference.  Organized by the Virginia Association for Environmental Education.  More information: https://vaee.wildapricot.org/.

Oct. 10-15, 2017, on the Chesapeake Bay between Baltimore, Md., and Portsmouth Virginia: Annual Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race.  More information: http://www.gcbsr.org/; phone (757) 393-2220; e-mail: mailto:mrace@gcbsr.org.

Oct. 12-13, 2017, National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, West Va.: 2017 Mid-Atlantic Water Resources Conference.  [Not in Virginia, but close and relevant.]  Hosted by the West Virginia Water Research Institute (at West Virginia University), in collaboration with the Delaware Water Resources Center (at the University of Delaware), the Pennsylvania Water Resources Research Center (at Penn State), and the Virginia Water Resources Research Center (at Virginia Tech). Abstracts for presentation proposals due March 27, 2017.  More information: visit http://midatlanticwrc.org/, or email: wvwaterconference@mail.wvu.edu.

Oct. 19, 2017, 10:19 a.m., across the southeastern United States: Great SouthEast ShakeOut earthquake drill.  Organized by several partners, including the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.  More information: http://www.shakeout.org/southeast/; or e-mail: shakeout@cusec.org.

Oct. 27, 2017, College of William and Mary School of Education, Williamsburg: 5th Annual Conference of the William and Mary Law School’s Virginia Coastal Policy Center.  This year’s theme is “Defending Our Coasts: Ensuring Military Readiness and Economic Viability as Waters Rise.”   More information: http://law.wm.edu/academics/programs/jd/electives/clinics/vacoastal/index.php; phone (757) 221-3800; e-mail: lawadm@wm.edu.

Nov. 3-5, 2017, National Conservation Training Center, Shepherdstown, W. Va.: Chesapeake Watershed Forum.  [Not in Virginia, but close and relevant.]  Organized by the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay.  More information: https://www.allianceforthebay.org/our-work/key-program-focuses/networking-education/chesapeake-watershed-forum/; (804) 775-0951 (Virginia office) or contact@allianceforthebay.org.

Nov. 4, 2017, Blacksburg: Virginia Tech Science Festival.  More information: http://www.cpe.vt.edu/sciencefestival/.

Nov. 16-18, 2017, Roanoke: Virginia Association of Science Teachers Annual Professional Development Institute.  More information: https://vast.wildapricot.org/; phone: (757) 897-3104; e-mail: communications@vast.org.

Nov. 17-19, 2017, Wildlife Center of Virginia, Waynesboro: 21st Annual Call of the Wild Conference on wildlife rehabilitation.  Organized by the Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynesboro and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.  More information: http://wildlifecenter.org/call-wild-conference; phone: (540) 942-9453; e-mail: outreach@wildlifecenter.org.

Nov. 16-19, 2017, Wallops Island (Accomack County): 4^th Annual Delmarva Nature and Wildlife Photography Summit.  Organized by the Chincoteague Bay Field Station (http://www.cbfieldstation.org/).  More information: http://www.cbfieldstation.org/photography-summit.html; or contact Mike Hillman, Chincoteague Bay Field Station, 34001 Mill Dam Road, Wallops Island, VA 23337; (757) 824-5636; e-mail: mike@cbfieldstation.org.

Dec. 3-5, 2017, Portsmouth: Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts Annual Meeting.   More information: http://vaswcd.org/annual-meeting; phone (804) 559-0324.

Jan. 10-March 10, 2018 (subject to extension): Virginia General Assembly, Richmond.  The 2018 General Assembly convenes on January 10 and is scheduled for 60 days; this is a so-called “long session,” which is held in all even-numbered years.  General Assembly session information is available online at this link.  Live video streams of floor sessions are available at http://virginia-house.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=3 for the House and http://virginia-senate.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=3 for the Senate.  Committees are key parts of the General Assembly process. Legislation about water or about activities that can affect water may be assigned to any of several standing committees, most of which meet weekly during the General Assembly session. Information about all standing committees as of June 2016—including membership, meeting times, and legislation being considered—is available online at http://lis.virginia.gov/161/com/COM.HTM.  For more information on the General Assembly, visit http://virginiageneralassembly.gov/index.php or contact your local member of the House of Delegates or State Senate.

January 2018 – dates and location not yet available as of 8/8/17: Virginia Association of Forest Health Professionals 26th Annual Conference.  More information: http://vafhp.org/conference/.

Jan. 26-28, 2018, Virginia Beach: Winter Wildlife Festival.  Organized by the City of Virginia Beach and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.  More information: https://www.vbgov.com/government/departments/parks-recreation/special-events/Pages/winter-wildlife-festival.aspx; or contact the City’s Outdoor and Environmental Programs Department, (757) 385-2990; e-mail: outdoors@vbgov.com.

Mar. 4-6, 2018, Richmond: Virginia Water Conference 2018.  Organized by the Virginia Lakes and Watersheds Association.  More information: http://www.vlwa.org/VirginiaWaterConference.aspx.

Mar. 22, 2018 (recurs every year), everywhere: World Water Day. The annual worldwide event designated by the United Nations since 1993.  More information on the history of the event and the observances and activities for this year is available at the World Water Day Web site: http://www.worldwaterday.org/.  March 22 also starts the annual period for the EarthEcho Water Challenge (formerly World Water Monitoring Challenge), running through the officially observed day of September 18 and ending December 31.  More information on the EarthEcho Water Challenge is available at http://www.monitorwater.org/.

LINKS TO EVENTS LISTS FROM OTHER ORGANIZATIONS

Boating Safety Classes by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries

Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge

Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts

Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation/Nutrient Management Training

Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation/State Parks Events

Virginia Department of Emergency Management Training Events (including for floods, hazardous material, and other water-related emergencies)

Virginia Department of Environmental Quality Training for Stormwater Management and Erosion/Sediment Control

Virginia Department of Health Listing of Training Resources for Onsite Sewage Professionals

Virginia Forest Landowner Education Program Events

Virginia Green (Virginia Tourism Corporation site for “green” vacations and activities)

Virginia Household Water Quality Program List of Drinking Water Clinics and Master Well Owner Network Training

Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS)

Virginia Master Naturalists

Virginia Native Plant Society

Virginia Sea Grant’s Links to Marine-education Opportunities for K-12 Teachers (click on “Professional Development”)

Virginia Water Environment Association

American Water Resources Association-National Capital Region Section

U.S. EPA Watershed Academy Webcast Seminars

Wetlands Education and Training Opportunities from Environmental Concern (non-profit in St. Michaels, Md.; opportunities for professionals and educators).

Virginia Water Status Report as of the End of August 2017, Plus a Look at Drought Nationally

Here is the Virginia Water Central News Grouper’s monthly water-status report on precipitation, stream flow, and drought, as of the end of August 2017.  The Virginia Water Resources Research Center thanks the agencies mentioned below for providing the data and maps used in this post.  Icons for precipitation, stream flow, and drought are by George Wills of Blacksburg, Va. (https://www.etsy.com/people/BlacksburgArt).  For previous monthly water status reports, please see this link: https://vawatercentralnewsgrouper.wordpress.com/?s=Water+Status.

Here are National Weather Service (NWS) preliminary (still needing verification) precipitation totals for August 2017 at 11 Virginia or near-Virginia locations, along with the “normal” (three-decade average) for this month of the year at each location.  Also shown are the precipitation totals at each location for the previous 12 months and the annual precipitation normals for each location.  The values are in inches.

Location	August 2017 Observed	Monthly Normal	September 2016-August 2017 Observed	Annual Normal
Blacksburg	2.50	3.59	43.23	40.89
Bluefield1	2.21	3.26	40.00	39.63
Bristol2	6.28	3.47	46.54	41.01
Charlottesville3	3.18	3.62	34.96	42.71
Danville	4.07	3.97	44.67	44.41
Lynchburg	2.24	3.26	36.11	41.57
Norfolk	9.04	5.52	65.03	46.53
Richmond	5.94	4.66	48.36	43.60
Roanoke	2.31	3.56	42.40	41.25
Wallops Island4	10.86	4.19	59.89	40.84
Washington-Dulles Airport5	3.83	3.53	40.33	41.54

 

Location notes
1 – The Bluefield location is the Mercer County, W. Va., airport, near the Va.-W.Va. state line.
2- The Bristol location Tri-Cities Airport in Tenn., about 20 miles from Bristol, Va./Tenn.
3 – The Charlottesville location is the (Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport.
4 – Wallops Island is in Accomack County.
5 – Washington-Dulles Airport is in Loudoun County.

Precipitation sources:  Climate pages of the following National Weather Service Forecast Offices:
Blacksburg, Va. (http://www.nws.noaa.gov/climate/index.php?wfo=rnk);
Morristown, Tenn. (http://www.weather.gov/climate/index.php?wfo=mrx;
Baltimore-Washington (http://www.nws.noaa.gov/climate/index.php?wfo=lwx); and
Wakefield, Va. (http://www.nws.noaa.gov/climate/index.php?wfo=akq).

The normal values used by the National Weather Service (NWS) in these provisional reports are based on the period from 1981 to 2010.  The National Climatic Data Center released these normal values in July 2011.  For information on the normal values, see the National Climatic Data Center Web page at http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/data-access/land-based-station-data/land-based-datasets/climate-normals.

For graphs of precipitation, visit the Southeast Regional Climate Center (Chapel Hill, N.C) at http://www.sercc.com/climateinfo/precip_maps, where you can find maps of total precipitation and percent of normal precipitation for the past 7, 30, 60, or 90 days; or the NWS’ Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service at http://water.weather.gov/precip/ for a map of precipitation nationwide or by state, with capability to show county boundaries, and archives available for specific days, months, or years.  Shown below are the Southeast Regional Climate Center’s preliminary maps of the percent-of-normal precipitation for the previous 30 days, 60 days, and 90 days, through August 31, 2017.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey WaterWatch for Virginia (online at http://waterwatch.usgs.gov/index.php?m=mv01d&r=va&w=map), monthly average stream flow values for August 2017 at 154 stream gages in Virginia and just beyond the state border were as follows, compared to the historical range for each given gage:

normal historical range – about 67% of gages;
below normal – about 16%;
much below normal – about 5%;
above normal – about 10%;
much above normal – about 2%.

Shown below is the color-coded, flow-percentile map for this period, accessed online at https://waterwatch.usgs.gov/index.php?m=mv01d&r=va&w=map on 9/5/17.  The color codes/percentile classes used by USGS to compared flows to historical records for the month are shown in the chart below the map.

 

An overall look at Virginia streamflow conditions is provided in the USGS WaterWatch summary plot of daily average streamflow conditions, compared to historical records for any given date.  Below is the summary plot for 88 Virginia sites during the 45-day period ending August 31, 2017, accessed on 9/1/17 at https://waterwatch.usgs.gov/index.php?id=pa01d&sid=w__plot&r=va.

Information on current groundwater levels in Virginia monitoring wells is available from the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Water Information System, online at http://waterdata.usgs.gov/va/nwis/current/?type=gw; and from the USGS Climate Response Network, online at http://groundwaterwatch.usgs.gov/net/ogwnetwork.asp?ncd=crn (at that page, you can find a national map showing the status of groundwater monitoring wells compared to historical values).

DROUGHT IN VIRGINIA

The weekly U.S. Drought Monitor map from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/) for August 29, 2017, categorized 19.7% of Virginia as “abnormally dry” (including some of the James River basin, a north-south band in the center of state from about Richmond to Southside, and part of the upper Roanoke and upper Shenandoah basins).

Drought Monitor categories are as follows:
D0 = abnormally dry;
D1 = moderate drought;
D2 = severe drought;
D3 = extreme drought;
D4 = exceptional drought.

The Drought Monitor notes that it “focuses on broad-scale conditions [and] local conditions may vary.”

For comparison, here are Virginia ratings from previous Drought Monitors from about one month, two months, three months, and one year ago:
7/25/17 – 32.4% abnormally dry;
6/27/17 – 0.9% abnormally dry;
5/30/17 – drought-free;
8/30/16 – 5.3% abnormally dry.

The Virginia Drought Monitoring Task Force, a collaboration of state and federal agencies, issued its most recent (as of 9/6/17) Drought Status Report on August 14, 2017.  A link to the report, along with other current drought-status information, is available online at http://www.deq.virginia.gov/Programs/Water/WaterSupplyWaterQuantity/Drought.aspx.  The Task Force’s reports typically include information from some or all of the following agencies: University of Virginia Climatology Office, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the Virginia departments of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Health, and Environmental Quality.  The Task Force is next scheduled to meet on September 14, 2017.

The Drought Monitoring Task Force also produces a map rating drought-status indicators.  Shown below is the map for August 31, 2017.  The status-indicator abbreviations on that map are as follows: GW = groundwater levels, Prcp = precipitation deficits, Res – reservoir storage, and Flow = stream flow conditions.  For each region of Virginia, the indicators are color coded for “normal,” “watch,” “warning,” or “emergency conditions.”  Any given day’s current map and more information on drought status in Virginia are available the Task Force Web site listed above.
DROUGHT ELSEWHERE

The August 29, 2017, U.S. Drought Monitor categorized 25.8% of the United States (including all or parts of 38 states plus Puerto Rico) as being abnormally dry or worse.  The Drought Monitor categorized 4.8% of the country (including parts of 8 states), as being in severe drought or worse (categories D2, D3, and D4).  (The highest percentage in the severe-or-worse categories reported by the Drought Monitor since it began in 2000 was 38.5% of the country for the week of August 7, 2012.)

The nationwide percentages for abnormally dry or worse (categories D0-D4) and severe or worse (categories D2-D4) in the previous three months and one year ago were as follows:
7/25/17 – 33.8% abnormally dry or worse, 4.4% severe drought or worse;
6/27/17 – 23.2% abnormally dry or worse, 2.7% severe drought or worse;
5/30/17 – 20.7% abnormally dry or worse, 0.9% severe drought or worse;
8/30/16 – 37.7% abnormally dry or worse; 6.1% severe drought or worse.

The following states had 50% or more categorized by the August 29 Drought Monitor in severe-or-worse drought:
Montana – 60%;
North Dakota – 53%.

90-DAY DROUGHT OUTLOOK

For a look ahead, the National Weather Service/Climate Prediction Center’s “U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook” is available at http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/expert_assessment/sdo_summary.php.  Shown below is the outlook map available on September 1, 2017.

On Virginia Water Radio for 9-4-17: Drones Over Water Help Generate Maps, Monitoring, and Assessments

Virginia Water Radio’s episode for the week of September 4, 2017, is “The Water Work of Drones.”  The 3 min./33 sec. episode, available online at http://www.virginiawaterradio.org/2017/09/episode-384-9-4-17-water-work-of-drones.html, focuses on how drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (or systems) are being applied in various ways for water resources mapping, monitoring, and assessment (for example, as in Texas during Hurricane Harvey in August-September 2017).

Clinch River at Kyles Ford, Tenn., as photographed on August 29, 2017, during an unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) flight conducted by the Conservation Management Institute in Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment.  Photo courtesy of Daniel Cross, used with permission.

Virginia Water Radio’s is a weekly broadcast/podcast produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center.  The home page is http://www.virginiawaterradio.org.  Have a listen or two!

National Hurricane Center’s Graphical Atlantic Tropical Weather Outlook for 2 Days and 5 Days, as of September 5, 2017

Here’s a look at the National Hurricane Center’s (NHC) Atlantic tropical weather outlook for the next few days.  The Virginia Water Central News Grouper posts these outlooks approximately weekly (depending on the level of weather activity) during the Atlantic tropical storm season (June 1-November 30).

As of September 5, 2017, the center of Hurricane Irma (Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, as of 9 a.m. on 9/5/17) was located just east of the Caribbean Sea’s easternmost islands, the Leeward Islands.  The storm was predicted to continue as a major hurricane (Category 3 or higher) as its center moves along the northern Carribean and reaches Florida by Sunday, September 10.

At the same time, a pre-tropical disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico, centered just east of Mexico, was being given by the NHC a 60-percent chance of tropical cyclone formation within 48 hours and a 70-percent chance within five days; and a second pre-tropical disturbance, about midway between Africa and South America, was being given an 80-percent chance of tropical cyclone formation within 48 hours and a 90-percent chance within five days.

Shown below are a satellite image of Hurricane Irma, accessed at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Web site at http://www.goes.noaa.gov/browsh.html, on 9/5/17, 10:30 a.m. EDT; and the NHC’s two-day and five-day graphical tropical weather outlooks as of 8 a.m. EDT on September 5, accessed at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/.

August 2017 Atlantic Tropical Storm Summary from the National Hurricane Center Issued September 1, 2017

On September 1, 2017, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) issued its latest monthly report on the Atlantic tropical storm season; that report is available online at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/MIATWSAT.shtml.  Following is an excerpt from that report:
“Four named storms and four hurricanes, two of which became major hurricanes, formed in the Atlantic basin in August.  Based on a 30-year climatology (1981-2010), these numbers are above the long-term averages of three named storms and two hurricanes.  In terms of the Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE), which measures the combined strength and duration of tropical storms and hurricanes, activity in the Atlantic basin so far in 2017 has been near average.”

Also from the report for August 2017, here is the NHC’s list of all tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes this year through August, with their dates of occurrence and maximum wind speeds: (H = hurricane; MH = major hurricane; TD = tropical depression; TS = tropical storm):

TS Arlene – Apr. 19-21 Apr – 50 mph
TS Bret – Jun. 19-20 – 45 mph
TS Cindy – Jun. 20-23 – 60 mph
TD Four – Jul. 6-7 – 30 mph
TS Don – Jul. 17-18 – 50 mph
TS Emily – Jul. 31-Aug. 1 – 45 mph
H Franklin – Aug. 6-10 – 85 mph
H Gert – Aug. 13-17 – 105 mph
MH Harvey – Aug. 17-current – 130 mph
MH Irma – Aug. 30-current – 115 mph

When completed, reports on individual 2017 storms (including tracks) will be available online at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/index.php?season=2017&basin=atl.

Below is the Hurricane Center’s graph of preliminary (subject to verification) tracks of Atlantic tropical storms and hurricanes in 2017 through July, accessed at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/MIATWSAT.shtml, 9/1/17.