SPDSS_Task53-2_Collect and Fill Missing Monthly Climate Data

• Title: SPDSS Task 53.2 - Collect and Fill Missing Monthly Climate Data
• Description: SPDSS Task 53.2 –Collect and Fill Missing Monthly Climate Data memo discusses the identification of and filling techniques for the key climate stations selected to represent climatic conditions throughout the South Platte, North Platte and Laramie River basins ‎(SPDSS study area)‎.
• Decision Support - Doc Type: Task Memorandum
• Date: 2/7/2005
• DSS Category: Consumptive Use
• DSS: South Platte
• Basin: South Platte
• Contract/PO #: C153954
• Grant Type: Non-Reimbursable
• Bill Number: SB01-157, HB02-1152, SB03-110, HB04-1221, SB05-084, HB06-1313, SB07-122
• Prepared By: Leonard Rice Engineering

1.1 Combine Climate Stations
There are ten sets of key climate stations listed in Table 1 for which the physical station location
moved during the SPDSS study period and/or combining the data for the two stations was
determined to be appropriate. The two station locations were compared in terms of distance and
elevation differences. The combined stations, with the difference in elevation and distances, are
listed below in Table 2.
Table 2
Combined Key Climate Stations
Independent Time Series (Old Station) Dependent Time Series (New Station)

Station Name and ID Period of

Record
Station Name and ID Period of

Record 1
Distance Elevation
Differences ~
Akron 1 N (114) 1937 - 1999 Akron 4 E (109) 1918 - 2003 3.7 miles 120 feet
Allenspark 2 NNW (183) 1948 - 1993 Allenspark 1 NW (185) 1994 - 2003 1.4 miles 180 feet
Estes Park (2759) 1948 - 2001 Estes Park 1 SSE (2761) 2001 - 2003 n/a s 305 feet
Evergreen 2 SW (2795)
(No Temperature Data) 1948 - 1951 Evergreen (2790) 1961 - 2003 21 miles 310 feet
Greeley (3546) 1948 - 1967 Greeley UNC (3553) 1967 - 2003 1.4 miles 60 feet
Edgewater (2557) 1948 - 1962 Lakewood (4762) 1962 - 2003 1.8 miles 190 feet
Kauffman 4 SSE (4460) 1948 - 1987 New Raymer 21 N (5934) 1987 - 2003 91 miles 70 feet
Parker 6 E (6326) 1948 - 1997 Parker 2 N (6323) 1997 - 2003 5.4 miles 400 feet
Red Feather Lakes 2 SE (6925)
Red Feather Lakes 6 (6930) 1948 - 1990
1959 - 1962 Red Feather Lakes (6921) 1991 - 1997 2.1 miles
39 miles 135 feet
560 feet
Sedgwick (7513) 1948 - 2003 Sedgwick 5 S (7515) 1958 - 2003 4.7 miles 400 feet
Notes: i Distances based on CDSS Climate Station GIS coverage
~ Elevation differences based on data from HydroBase
s No GIS coverage of Estes Park 1 SSE
Data from the combined stations were graphed using cumulative mass diagrams to check for
consistency and to verify that combining the stations was a valid approach (Appendix A). The
fitted lines show no break in the slope of the cumulative precipitation, indicating that there are no
major differences between data collected from the two locations. This confirms it is appropriate
to combine these stations.
The combined data sets were created using the following TSTooI commands:
1. setOutputPeriod -Extends the dependent time series (new station) to include the period
of the independent time series (old station).
2. fillFromTS -Copies data from the independent time series to replace missing values in
the dependent time series.
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