Join CoCoRaHS Today!
CoCoRaHS is a practical, enjoyable and useful activity. If you have an interest in weather and would like to help your local community, as well as scientists and others interested in precipitation, then CoCoRaHS is for you. It only takes a few minutes a day and gives you the chance to participate in real hands-on science. You’ll be amazed at what you learn as you become more aware of the variable weather that impacts you, your neighbors, your state and our entire country.
Data on the web
Volunteers submit their observations using the CoCoRaHS website or apps. Observations are immediately available to the public via maps and data analysis tools, and to data users via the CoCoRaHS Web API. Data users such as scientists, resource manages, decision makers and others have come to rely on the high density, high quality measurements provided by CoCoRaHS observers.
CoCoRaHS is Educational
CoCoRaHS offers learning opportunities too. In addition to training materials, newsletters and the ‘Message of the Day’, members also enjoy opportunities to attend Webinars featuring experts in weather, climatology and other pertinent disciplines. CoCoRaHS offers classroom resources for K-12 teachers. Students get to collect and submit real scientific data – all while meeting State and National Standards in science, math, geography and more!
What is CoCoRaHS?
The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network, is a non-profit, community based, network of volunteers who measure and report rain, hail and snow in their backyards.
A brief History
CoCoRaHS came about as a result of a devastating flash flood that hit Fort Collins, Colorado in July 1997. A very localized storm dumped over a foot of rain in several hours while other portions of the city had only modest rainfall. The ensuing flood caught many by surprise, caused $200 million in damages, and resulted in five deaths. CoCoRaHS was born in 1998 with the intent of doing a better job of mapping and reporting intense storms. CoCoRaHS became a nationwide volunteer network in 2010 and is now international with observers helping provide critical precipitation observations, benefiting their country’s needs.
Volunteers of all ages welcome!
Individuals and family volunteers of all ages and all walks of life are the foundation of the CoCoRaHS network, Anyone can help. It only takes a few minutes to check the rain gauge and report your observations.
Training: “the Key to our success”
It is important that all CoCoRaHS precipitation reports be accurate and consistant. Training is provided on how to install gauges, properly measure precipitation and transmit reports. CoCoRaHS precipitation reports are accurate and very useful.
Why is there so much interest in rain, hail and snow?
Precipitation is essential for life. It varies greatly with topography, storm type and season. It really is true that it may pour on one side of the street and be dry on the other. A portion of a field may be pounded by hail while others nearby receive no damage. Snowfall may pile up in one neighborhood and only dust another. Rain, hail and snow are fairly easy to measure, and the data collected are very important. Meteorologists, hydrologists, engineers, builders, farmers . . . you name it, everyone seems to care about rain, hail and snow. That’s why we ask, “How much fell in your backyard?” There are limited observations across southwest Idaho and southeast Oregon, compared to the rest of the country, so we would love to have your observations. To learn more about the CoCoRaHS program and to see where your fellow observers have recorded rain amounts, visit http://www.cocorahs.org/.
Invite your neighbors, relatives and friends by sending them this “Join” link: http://www.cocorahs.org/application.aspx
