Written by NOAA - National Weather Service

Have you ever wondered how much rain fell during a recent thunderstorm? How about snowfall during a winter storm? If so, an important volunteer weather observing program needs your help!

The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow network, or CoCoRaHS, is looking for new volunteers across North Carolina. The grassroots effort is part of a growing national network of home-based and amateur weather spotters with the goal of providing a high-density precipitation network across the country.

North Carolina became the twenty-first state to join the CoCoRaHS program in 2007, and by 2010, the CoCoRaHS network had reached all 50 states with nearly 10,000 daily observations. Through CoCoRaHS, thousands of volunteers, young and old, document the size, intensity, duration, and patterns of rain, hail, and snow by taking simple measurements in their own backyards.

Volunteers may obtain an official rain gauge through the CoCoRaHS website (www.cocorahs.org) for about $40 plus shipping. Besides the need for an official 4 inch plastic rain gauge, volunteers are asked to review simple training modules online and submit their reports using the CoCoRaHS website or app. The process takes only five minutes a day, but the impact on the community is tenfold: by providing high-quality, accurate measurements, the observers are able to supplement existing networks and provide useful data to scientists, resource managers, decision-makers, and others.

How does one become a CoCoRaHS observer? Go to the CoCoRaHS website and click on the “Join CoCoRaHS” emblem on the upper right side of the website. After registering, take the simple online training, order your 4-inch rain gauge, and start reporting!