Raleigh News & Observer Logo

Grassroots organization of weather lovers needs volunteers | Raleigh News & Observer

×
  • E-edition
    • Customer Service
    • Support
    • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Sponsorships
    • Stay connected
    • Mobile & Apps
    • Facebook
    • Google+
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • Social Media Directory
    • N&O Store
    • Buy Photos
    • Databases
    • Archives
    • Newsletters

    • Blogs
    • Columnists
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Health
    • Local
    • North Carolina
    • Nation/World
    • Science
    • Thumbs Up
    • Traffic
    • Weather
    • Weird News
    • All News
    • Counties
    • Durham County
    • Johnston County
    • Orange County
    • Wake County
    • All Sports
    • Baseball
    • Canes
    • College
    • Columns & Blogs
    • High Schools
    • NASCAR & Auto Racing
    • NBA
    • NFL
    • NHL
    • Olympics
    • Outdoors
    • Panthers
    • Soccer
    • Schools
    • Duke
    • East Carolina
    • NC State
    • North Carolina
    • All Politics
    • The North Carolina Influencer Series
    • State Politics
    • Blogs
    • Columnists
    • PolitiFact
    • PolitiFact NC
    • Rob Christensen
    • Under the Dome
    • All Business
    • Blogs
    • Columnists
    • Health Care
    • Personal Finance
    • Real Estate
    • Shop Talk
    • Stocks Center
    • Technology
    • All Living
    • Video Now
    • Best-Kept Secrets
    • Blogs
    • Celebrations
    • Comics
    • Family
    • Fashion
    • Fitness
    • Food
    • Games and Puzzles
    • Home and Garden
    • Horoscopes
    • Mouthful
    • Past Times
    • Pets
    • Religion
    • Travel
    • Video Now
    • Arts News
    • ArtsNow
    • Books
    • Contests
    • Dining
    • Entertainment
    • Games
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Nightlife
    • Television
    • On the Beat
    • Happiness is a Warm TV
    • All Opinion
    • Columnists
    • Dwane Powell
    • Editorials
    • Influencers Opinion
    • Letters
    • Opinion Shop Blog
    • Other Views
    • Submit a Letter
  • Obituaries

    • Advertise with us
    • Place Ad
    • Apartments
    • Cars
    • Homes
    • Jobs
    • Legals
    • Obits/In Memoriams
    • Weddings
    • Today's Daily Deal
    • Special Sections
    • Today's Circulars
    • Rewards
    • Photo Store
  • Classifieds
  • Jobs
  • Moonlighting
  • Cars
  • Homes
  • Legals

Clear Weather

Grassroots organization of weather lovers needs volunteers

By Niki Morock

nmorock@newsobserver.com

    ORDER REPRINT →

March 17, 2015 11:09 AM

If you love weather so much that you stand by the water cooler the morning after a storm and discuss how much rain must have fallen at your house, you might be interested in this ongoing opportunity. Five minutes a day is all it takes to participate in a citizen science program that makes an impact in the field of meteorology. No degree is necessary!

The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow network, called CoCoRaHS, is in the midst of their annual call for volunteers. You can join at any time, but in March, the national grassroots organization challenges themselves to recruit more members. Participation only requires signing up on their website, ordering an official rain gauge, doing a simple training module online, and five minutes a day to make a report.

In July 1997, Fort Collins, Colorado, experienced an event for the record books. $200 million dollars worth of damages was caused by flooding when a severe thunderstorm dropped nearly a foot of rain in several hours over one part of the city. At the same time, other parts of the city experienced only moderate rainfall. The need for better recording and mapping of rainfall events was realized, and in 1998, CoCoRaHS was created.

By 2010, all 50 states had participants with nearly ten thousand observations being reported each day. All participants are volunteers with an interest in weather. Observers of all ages document the size, intensity, duration, and patterns of rain, hail, and snow in their own backyards. While observations should be made daily, there is no rule that they must be made daily. Taking the occasional vacation or otherwise necessary break is understandable and excused. However, the idea is to have as accurate reporting, even on zero precipitation days, as often as possible.

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to The News & Observer

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

I had the pleasure of training a class of Skywarn spotters as part of the Weather-Ready Nation initiative on Friday (more on Skywarn later this week), and one of the questions I received at the end of the hour was whether the reports were recorded permanently, and how much of a difference they made. While local storm reports are of immense importance, CoCoRaHS is what came to my mind as being a way that anyone can volunteer to help scientists understand storms and drought over the long term.

Dr. Ryan Boyles, state climatologist and director of the State Climate Office, was nice enough to speak to the group about the importance of the CoCoRaHS program and the need for volunteers. He pointed out that volunteers within just a mile of each other could see a marked difference in the amount of precipitation that falls out of the same storm. The more observers we have reporting on storms, the better our mapping of the events and the more understanding we have after studying them.

David Glenn, CoCoRaHS State Co-coordinator and meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Newport/Morehead City, said in a recent interview, "An additional benefit of the program to the National Weather Service is the ability to receive timely reports of significant weather (hail, intense rainfall, localized flooding) from CoCoRaHS observers that can assist forecasters in issuing and verifying warnings for severe thunderstorms." Glenn added that they are in need of volunteers across all of North Carolina and would like to emphasize rural areas, higher terrain, and coastal locations.

If you are interested in participating, visit the CoCoRaHS website for more information. North Carolina CoCoRaHS is also on facebook and twitter.

  Comments  

Videos

Tropical depression expected to become Tropical Storm Nate

Duke’s Krzyzewski speaks about Zion Williamson’s injury and loss to UNC

View More Video

Trending Stories

John Harris warned his father about legal red flags involving Bladen operative

February 20, 2019 02:13 PM

Will former President Obama attend the Duke-UNC game? Here’s the latest buzz.

February 19, 2019 06:30 PM

Zion Williamson injured during Duke-UNC game after foot blows through shoe

February 20, 2019 09:53 PM

Hurricanes owner Dundon takes over new football league

February 19, 2019 08:43 AM

Transgender woman has asked to be moved from a men’s prison. So far, NC has said no.

February 20, 2019 01:42 PM

Read Next

Why meteorologists look at ALL of the models

Clear Weather

Why meteorologists look at ALL of the models

By Niki Morock

nmorock@newsobserver.com

    ORDER REPRINT →

October 05, 2016 03:04 PM

While some weather forecast models are better than others, I want folks to really understand that all have their strong points and shortcomings.

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to The News & Observer

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE CLEAR WEATHER

Clear Weather

Did we learn anything from Katrina?

August 25, 2015 04:42 PM

Clear Weather

Hello, Tropical Depression Four!

August 18, 2015 01:56 PM

Clear Weather

Nature doesn't need photo editing

August 12, 2015 12:14 PM

Clear Weather

Airlines help improve weather forecasts

August 05, 2015 03:47 PM

Clear Weather

Recognizing a rip current can save your life

July 31, 2015 04:38 PM

Clear Weather

Why isn't the Southeast warming as fast as the rest of the Earth?

July 22, 2015 02:51 PM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

Raleigh News & Observer App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Rewards
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
  • Triangletoday.com
  • Legal Notices
Advertising
  • Advertise With Us
  • About Our Ads
  • Place a Classified
  • Local Deals
  • N&O Store
  • N&O Photos
Copyright
Commenting Policy
Report News
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use


Back to Story