CoCoRaHS Is Here!
What IS CoCoRaHS?
There is a new way to let the National Weather Service know how much rain, hail, or snow you've measured in your back yard! The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow (CoCoRaHS) Network is here. CoCoRaHS is a unique, non-profit, community-based network of volunteers of all ages and backgrounds working together to measure and map precipitation (rain, hail and snow). The program will help meteorologists, hydrologists, and researchers study the variability of precipitation across Alabama, and the accumulated data will be available to anyone with a use or interest in precipitation data.
How did CoCoRaHS get started?
CoCoRaHS started because of a devastating flood that struck Fort Collins, Colorado in 1998. When researchers went back to examine the precipitation data, they discovered that the rainfall leading to the flood missed all of the official gages. Colorado State Climatologist Nolan Doeskin developed a new volunteer observing network to fill in the gaps between official gages called CoCoRaHS.
Sounds great! How can I sign up?
There are three options available, depending on where you live and the measuring equipment you have.
How can I find out more?
If you'd like to know more about local CoCoRaHS efforts, feel free to contact Michael Garrison by email, or call the National Weather Service office in Birmingham at 205-664-3010.