This is generic language on what CMOR is and how folks can get involved. Please cut, paste and customize it to develop state- or event-specific content that best meets your needs. Use this language for blog posts, press releases, announcements and more to encourage your stakeholders to submit condition reports to CMOR.
Submit photos and describe your experience with drought through Condition Monitoring Observer Reports
Are you currently dealing with drought? Have drought conditions affected your community or agricultural operation? Submit a report to the Condition Monitoring Observer Reports system (CMOR) at go.unl.edu/cmor_drought to help us understand what drought looks like where you are.
The CMOR system, managed by the National Drought Mitigation Center, collects reports of local weather conditions and impacts around the country. Your report will become part of the permanent record, appearing immediately on an interactive map visible to the public, including authors of the U.S. Drought Monitor and the media.
CMOR reports are one piece of supporting evidence used in the development of the Drought Monitor each week, providing on-the-ground information to help authors better understand local conditions. Observations shared via CMOR will not be used as sole justification to change an area’s drought classification. However, authors rely on CMOR reports to help identify areas that might need more attention or to interpret complex weather data, particularly in moments of extreme or rapidly developing drought.
The Drought Monitor is used by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to trigger disaster declarations and eligibility for low-interest loans and assistance programs. State and local decision makers also use the map to implement drought response activities.
Information incorporated in a CMOR report includes how dry or wet it is and how current conditions compare to what’s typical, in the eyes of the observer. The system allows users to also note impacts on different sectors, such as crop and livestock production, municipal water supply, recreation and public health. We encourage you to submit photos along with your reports to illustrate what conditions look like in your community.
You can submit reports as frequently as you’d like. Frequent reporting is particularly useful during times of rapid change and extreme weather, but we encourage users to participate year-round to provide an ongoing comparison of wet, dry and normal conditions.
To learn more about CMOR, in English and Spanish, and how you can become an observer, check out go.unl.edu/cmor_drought.