Volunteers needed for statewide rain gauge network

ATLANTA, GA (April 25, 2008) - The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network, better known as CoCoRaHS, is looking for volunteers to help collect rainfall data across Georgia. 

   The CoCoRaHS program started in Colorado in 1998 and has expanded to 31 states where more than 10,000 observers take daily measurements of rain, hail and snow, according to Chris McGehee, hydrologist at the Southeast River Forecast Center (part of NOAA’s National Weather Service). She serves as CoCoRaHS state coordinator for Georgia. The non-profit organization stresses training and education, and welcomes volunteers from all walks of life to take part in monitoring precipitation. 

   “This is a great chance for weather enthusiasts and average citizens to be part of a project that collects vital rainfall data,” McGehee said. “The data is readily available to the general public and other organizations.”  Volunteers use low-cost equipment and an interactive Web site to provide the highest quality data for natural resources, education and research applications. Climatologists, hydrologists, water resource managers and the National Weather Service are just some of the users of the high-density rainfall reports.

   Georgia CoCoRaHS is officially set to join the network on May 1st, but enthusiastic public response led CoCoRaHS headquarters to put Georgia’s web pages online a month early. More than 100 Georgians from 46 counties have signed up already.

   “Official measuring stations across the state are sparse, and rainfall can vary quite a bit over short distances,” McGehee said. “With trained volunteers, CoCoRaHS helps fill these gaps and give us a better picture of rainfall patterns.”

   To volunteer as a CoCoRaHS observer or for more information, visit www.cocorahs.org or email McGehee at christine.mcgehee@noaa.gov.

CoCoRaHS is nationally funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Science Foundation.