CoCoRaHS WxTalk Webinars - Sharing Weather and Climate Knowledge with the Public

In December 2011 CoCoRaHS kicked off a monthly series called CoCoRaHS WxTalk. This is an ongoing series of monthly one-hour interactive Webinars featuring engaging experts in the fields of atmospheric science, climatology, hydrology and other pertinent disciplines. The target audience is CoCoRaHS (Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow network) volunteers. During each presentation members of the audience can submit questions which the experts answer live on the air. The Webinars have averaged approximately 200 attendees. Each Webinar is recorded and archived on the CoCoRaHS website (http://www.cocorahs.org/Content.aspx?page=wxtalk) and viewed by hundreds more after the fact.

As we begin our fifth season in 2016 our 43 Webinars have covered a multitude of topics from clouds to waterspouts to tsunamis to rainwater harvesting and even one on “How to become a Meteorologist”. Our guests have included many of the top experts in the country. There are many topics that remain to be explored including a look at the climates of various regions of our country, a visit with weather organizations such as the AMS, WMO and NWA, and a possible state by state series beginning in 2017.

Our poster will summarize our 4-year Webinar experience and will also provide an opportunity for conference attendees to suggest future important topics and also volunteer to share their expertise.