Are you a weather observer? More importantly, do you want to be? We can help you get started.
CoCoRaHS is a volunteer network
Official CoCoRaHS rain gauge
Participating in the Community Collaboration Rain, Hail and Snow (CoCoRaHS) grassroots volunteer network is easier than making that first cup of coffee in the morning.
Volunteers use simple rain gauges to measure rainfall, recording the measurement once each day.
Is this information important?
Is the data that you collect important? Yes, says Nolan Doesken, the State Climatologist for Colorado, in his article The Value of the Citizen Weather Observer:
…precipitation and its variations affect our lives and livelihoods every day. Rain, hail, and snow have profound effects on crops, yards and gardens, forests and grasslands, homes and businesses, lakes and rivers, highways and air traffic, sales and marketing, recreation and tourism, and insects and ecosystems. Clouds and precipitation even affect our moods and our productivity.
In any given week, businesses, individuals, and organizations seek and use precipitation data: TV meteorologists, newspapers, engineers, consultants, utilities, architects, contractors, farmers, ranchers, teachers, truckers, resort operators, restaurant chains, marketing experts, investors, and many federal and state agencies such as the NWS, the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, NASA, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Aviation Administration, and more.
Is this information needed here?
CoCoRaHS readings on December 16
We are part of one of the most productive agricultural areas on the planet. Our county generates more farm sales than almost any other county in Oregon. Many people depend on weather information to make good business decisions.
Having better weather forecasts available can also protect water quality. Knowing safe times to use chemicals reduces overspray, wind drift, and contaminated runoff.
This kind of information is definitely needed in Clackamas County. More volunteers are needed to collect weather data in our county.
Interested? Sign up!
Sign up online to become a CoCoRaHS volunter. If you have questions about CoCoRaHS, contact coordinator Kathie Dello.
You’ll need a rain gauge
Besides publicizing the need for volunteer weather observers, if you live in Clackamas County we can also help you get that all-important rain gauge!
When you sign up for CoCoRaHS, answer “I will need to obtain this type of gauge” when asked if you have a rain gauge. Then tell us the station number (something like “OR-CC-45”) you are assigned, and if your station is in Clackamas County we’ll give you an official CoCoRaHS rain gauge. We don’t have a lot of these rain gauges in stock, so it is first come, first served!
Contact Tom or Lisa when you’re ready to start collecting this important information with a free rain gauge from the Clackamas County SWCD.
