The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow (CoCoRaHS) Network—“Informal Atmospheric Science in the Community: What can we accomplish?”

The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS), provides a great platform for communities around the country to participate in informal atmospheric science right in their own communities through the daily observation of precipitation.

Volunteers of diverse backgrounds, from eight to ninety years old, measure rain, hail and snow in their own backyards using simple low-cost rain gauges and hail pads. These observations are then collected and made available on the CoCoRaHS website: www.cocorahs.org. These data are used daily by many federal, state and community organizations, educators, scientists and businesses. Through quality observation, data sharing and frequent e-mail communication, participants actively learn about weather patterns, storm systems, climate, their water resources and the impacts precipitation has on their lives and their communities.

The CoCoRaHS Network currently engages over 2,000 volunteer observers in communities across eleven states and may be expanding to other areas soon.