Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow network
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The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow network, or CoCoRaHS, is a network of volunteer weather watchers who take daily readings of precipitation, and report them online or by phone.
[edit] History
The network was started in 1997, in Larimer County, Colorado after a flash flood in Spring Creek caused damage to structures in the city of Fort Collins, Colorado and killed five people.[1] The severity of the flood surprised meteorologists, until then assistant state climatologist Nolan Doesken began collecting rainfall measurements from private citizens in the area. About 300 responded to his emergency request. Said Doesken later, "The results of the data showed that more than 14 in. (36 cm) of rain fell over southwest Fort Collins, the area where the flood waters originated, while less than 2 in. (5 cm) of rain fell only 3-4 mi (5-6 km) east. The enthusiastic interest shown by volunteers and the great value of the data verified the need for such a service, and CoCoRaHS was born."[2]
[edit] Status
As of February 2008, twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia participate in CoCoRaHS, and nine more states are slated to begin participation in 2008.[3]
