CoCoRaHS Recruiting Blitz 2024 Is In Full Swing. We Need Your Help Observing the Weather

CoCoRaHS 2024 Rainfall Observer Recruiting Blitz
A Call for Volunteers To Measure Precipitation

Joe Maniscalco - Observation Program Leader (OPL)/Meteorologist
POC for Observation, Climate, and COOP
National Weather Service Mobile Alabama
March 1st, 2024

There is always a need for a greater number of observations, as the saying goes "the rain doesn't fall the same on all". Due to the variability of precipitation, amounts measured can be quite different only a block or two away. Would you consider helping fill in the gaps? The more observations, the clearer the picture, and the better the understanding of where it did and did not rain. Not only that, you as an observer play a pivotal role in providing accurate high-quality precipitation data for our many users including the National Weather Service, other meteorologists, hydrologists, emergency managers, city utilities (water supply, water conservation, stormwater), insurance adjusters, USDA, engineers, mosquito control, ranchers and farmers, outdoor & recreation interests, teachers, students, and neighbors in the community.

The CoCoRaHS (Community Collaborative Rain Hail and Snow) network is the platform where you can join! You may ask, who can join? It's a community project. Everyone! It's both fun, educational, and rewarding. To learn more about CoCoRaHS, refer to the link: www.cocorahs.org. It's free to join with the only one-time cost being the required rain gauge.

The images below (credit to CoCoRaHS) show both a nationwide and detailed, local view of how observer data is visualized. The images show just how important it is to know where and how much precipitation fell, but also where there was no precipitation, which is equally important.

Network Rainfall Reports From A Tropical Weather Event (Hurricane Sally)

Zoomed In Look of Rainfall Reports at Sally's Landfall Location

Network Rainfall Reports From A Non-Tropical Excessive Rainfall Event (June 2023)

National Weather Service Mobile/Pensacola uses CoCoRaHS data to document high-impact rainfall events over the central Gulf Coast. We do this by creating webpages highlighting the event using GIS as another visualization tool in describing the areal footprint of rainfall in greater detail. Please see the following web pages on the two events shown earlier on this page: Hurricane Sally and June 2023 Heavy Rain.

We need you and look forward to you becoming a part of the CoCoRaHS family of volunteers working together to measure precipitation.

Questions:

If you have any questions about CoCoRaHS, please reach out to Joe Maniscalco - Observation Program Leader at NWS Mobile/Pensacola
at joe.maniscalco@noaa.gov