The National Weather Service in Wilmington Ohio is seeking volunteers to participate in a new weather spotter network called CoCoRaHS, the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network. The precipitation data collected by CoCoRaHS volunteers will help the National Weather Service improve its forecasts, and university researchers will be able to use the data to advance the science of Meteorology. At this time, residents from Indiana and Kentucky are eligible to sign up.

Volunteers will be required to complete a short online training program available through the CoCoRaHS Web site to learn how to make accurate precipitation measurements. In order to measure rainfall, a rain gauge will be required, and volunteers will need to purchase one if they do not have one. Volunteers will then make daily precipitation measurements, and enter precipitation data through the CoCoRaHS Web site between 600 AM and 900 AM daily.

A table containing data collected by CoCoRaHS volunteers will be posted daily on the NWS Wilmington Ohio web site. For more information on becoming volunteer, visit the CoCoRaHS web site, or contact the NWS Wilmington Ohio Webmaster.