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| Volunteers Needed to Help Measure Rain and Predict Floods |
The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) is set
to begin a major recruitment and expansion drive into Mercer and Auglaize
counties. This extremely valuable community-based network incorporates
training and education on tracking rain and snowfall. Volunteers of all
ages and backgrounds are invited to take part in monitoring Ohio's
precipitation. The project's website at www.cocorahs.org
provides information on the project and free access to the data collected.
CoCoRaHS began in Ohio during February 2009 and now boasts more than 227
observers from all parts of the Buckeye State. With 2011 bringing new state
rainfall records to Ohio, the CoCoRaHS network has been a valuable asset in
monitoring Ohio precipitation and climate. With Ohio CoCoRaHS continuing to
grow, scores of residents statewide have found that measuring precipitation
is a rewarding and beneficial undertaking.
Recent repeated flood events during 2011 have highlighted the importance of
having a dense network of well-trained rainfall and snowfall observers in
the Auglaize and St. Mary's river valleys. While there have been some observing
stations in the area, there is currently no method for measuring water content
in the snowpack, which was a cause of the February 28, 2011 flash flood. The
efforts to monitor flood potential in the area will be greatly enhanced by adding
enthusiastic and well trained volunteers.
In support of this expansion effort, the state and regional CoCoRaHS coordinators
from the National Weather Service will hold a training session on Thursday,
January 26, 2012 at 6:30 PM at the Dicke Hall of the Wright State Lake Campus in
Celina. The hands-on session, lasting around one hour, will teach observers how to
accurately set up and read the standard CoCoRaHS rain gauges and report the data.
Attendance at the January 26th session is free, and open to any interested resident
of Ohio. Volunteers should contact Julie Reed
or Ashley Novak via email at the National Weather
Service in Wilmington.
CoCoRaHS began in 1998 in Colorado in response to flooding in Ft. Collins that
claimed 5 lives and caused over $100 million in damage. The network now encompasses
all 50 states and is expanding into Canada. The Ohio project represents a cooperative
effort between the National Weather Service and the State Climatologist at Ohio State
University.
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www.nws.noaa.gov
