While the following message is directed at Illinois residents, there are many states participating, check the website if you are interested and see if your state has been added yet.
Weather Watchers Needed
Many Illinois residents are familiar with the hit and miss
nature of showers and thunderstorms during the spring and
summer. A new volunteer program
designed to increase the density of
rainfall observation locations is being
coordinated by the Illinois State
Water Survey, the national Weather
Service, and the University of Illinois
Extension Natural Resources
Management Team. The “Community Collaborative Rain,
Hail and Snow” (CoCoRaHS) network is a grassroots volunteer
system of backyard weather observers of all ages
working together to measure and map precipitation– rain,
hail and snow– in their local communities. Volunteers are
needed throughout Illinois.
CoCoRaHS is a non-profit community-based organization,
supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation
and other contributors. By using low-cost measurement
tools, stressing training and education and utilizing an
interactive web site, the aim is to provide the highest quality
data for natural resource, education and research applications.
The project began in Colorado in 1998, and currently
has over 2500 observers in 13 states. Data collected
by the observers are used by climatologists, hydrologists,
water managers and the National Weather Service to monitor
drought, heavy rainfall and precipitation patterns.
Training is required to become a volunteer in this network.
Training session schedules are on the website. The
training provides a great opportunity to learn from experts
and to meet fellow CoCoRaHs observers. For more information
visit http://www.cocorahs.org/
Precipitation Counters Needed
