NOUS42 KCHS 291452
PNSCHS
GAZ087-088-099>101-114>119-137>141-SCZ040-042>045-047>052-011500-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
952 AM EST WED FEB 29 2012

...JOIN THE COCORAHS PROGRAM AND MEASURE THE RAINFALL THAT FALLS IN
YOUR BACKYARD OR SCHOOLYARD...

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW MUCH RAIN FALLS IN YOUR BACKYARD OR
SCHOOLYARD? YOU CAN LET THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KNOW HOW MUCH
RAIN...HAIL...OR SNOW YOU MEASURED IN YOUR BACKYARD BY JOINING THE
COMMUNITY COLLABORATIVE RAIN...HAIL...AND SNOW NETWORK. THIS
PROGRAM...KNOWN AS COCORAHS...HELPS METEOROLOGISTS AND RESEARCHERS
STUDY THE VARIABILITY OF PRECIPITATION ACROSS BOTH THE PALMETTO
AND PEACH STATES. THE ACCUMULATED DATA WILL BE AVAILABLE TO ANYONE
WITH A USE OR INTEREST IN PRECIPITATION DATA. THE GOAL IS TO
EVENTUALLY HAVE AN OBSERVER EVERY SQUARE MILE ACROSS EACH STATE.

THIS IS A FUN...EDUCATIONAL AND COMMUNITY-BASED PROJECT IN WHICH
PEOPLE OF ALL AGES AND BACKGROUNDS CAN HELP. HERE ARE THE BASIC
REQUIREMENTS FOR BEING A COCORAHS WEATHER OBSERVER:

1. HAVE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET AND THE ABILITY TO VISIT THE COCORAHS
WEBSITE. THIS IS WHERE YOU WILL ENTER YOUR DAILY PRECIPITATION
DATA.

2. HAVE AN OFFICIAL TYPE COCORAHS RAIN GAUGE. YOU CAN BUY ONE FOR
ABOUT $30 ON OUR WEBSITE WHEN YOU SIGN UP.

3. HAVE A GOOD SITE ON YOUR PROPERTY WITH GOOD EXPOSURE /AS FAR
AWAY FROM TREES AND OTHER OBSTRUCTIONS AS POSSIBLE/ WHERE YOU
CAN PLACE THE RAIN GAUGE ABOUT FIVE FEET OFF THE GROUND.

4. BE WILLING TO ENTER YOUR PRECIPITATION DATA ON A DAILY BASIS
BETWEEN 6 AM AND 9 AM THROUGH OUR INTERNET WEBSITE.

ALTHOUGH PARTICIPATION IN COCORAHS IS COMPLETELY VOLUNTARY...YOU
COME AWAY WITH THE FEELING THAT YOU ARE MAKING AN IMPORTANT 
CONTRIBUTION TO METEOROLOGY AND CLIMATOLOGY. YOUR DAILY 
PRECIPITATION DATA IS USEFUL FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS...INCLUDING:

> THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ISSUES A DAILY SUMMARY OF COCORAHS 
OBSERVATIONS VIA THE COCORAHS PRECIPITATION SUMMARY /LCO/. THIS CAN 
BE ACCESSED FROM THE COCORAHS PAGE ON OUR WEBSITE. 
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/CHS

> FARMERS AND RANCHERS USE THE DATA TO ASSESS RAINFALL PATTERNS AND 
PLAN IRRIGATION NEEDS.

> RESEARCHERS UTILIZE THE NETWORK OF PRECIPITATION OBSERVATIONS TO 
LEARN MORE ABOUT LONG-RANGE WEATHER PATTERNS...FLOOD CONTROL...AND 
RADAR PRECIPITATION ESTIMATION.

> COCORAHS DATA IS USED TO COMPILE HEAVY RAINFALL GRAPHICS AND STORM 
EVENT SUMMARIES WHICH ARE THEN USED BY GOVERNMENT AGENCIES...THE 
MEDIA...AND THE PUBLIC.

PLEASE VISIT THE COCORAHS WEBSITE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAM
AND REGISTER YOUR BACKYARD OR SCHOOLYARD AS AN OFFICIAL REPORTING
SITE. ONCE YOU REGISTER AND BEGIN TO REPORT...YOUR RAINFALL
OBSERVATIONS WILL BECOME PART OF THE RECORD AS WELL AS BEING
PLOTTED ON COUNTY AND STATE MAPS. YOU CAN VIEW THE MAPS AND
COMPARE YOUR OBSERVATION TO YOUR NEIGHBORS INVOLVED IN COCORAHS
ACROSS THE COUNTRY. YOU WILL ALSO HAVE A PERMANENT RECORD OF YOUR
OWN RAINFALL OBSERVATIONS THAT CAN BE EASILY SORTED AND ANALYZED.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN THE COCORAHS PROGRAM!

HTTP://WWW.COCORAHS.ORG 

$$