Are you interested in knowing the rainfall amount the same day it rains or maybe for the week, month, or growing season? Are you interested in comparing rainfall amounts using charts and data to compare different years? Many farmers now have cropland around their county and in some cases, in multiple counties. Different farms receive different amounts of rainfall. There is a rainfall collection and reporting system that meets these needs that is as close as your smartphone or computer.
The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow network or CoCoRaHS for short is the nation’s largest rainfall collection network started by Colorado State University in 1998. Once a CoCoRaHS volunteer collects rainfall in their gauge, it is entered online that day. This rainfall information becomes immediately available to anyone on the web, with charts and maps. Historical records are compiled automatically and can be viewed at http://www.cocorahs.org/.
You can go to this website, purchase an approved rain gauge, review the training, and begin collecting rainfall as part of the network. Rainfall amounts can be entered using your smartphone or computer after your location has been registered. A person is expected to check their rain gauge each morning and enter the amount, if any, online. If they are going to be away and cannot check the gauge, a multi-day entry can be made. There are also methods available to check hail and snow to make this reporting system a year-around process if desired.
If you are interested in becoming a CoCoRaHS rainfall collector, go to this website and click on ‘Join CoCoRaHS’. In addition to making timely rainfall amounts available to local farmers and homeowners, this will benefit local, state, and national researchers by providing a source of historical data that will be accessible at any time from anywhere.