Volunteers record weather data online

SWAN VALLEY - Swan Valley residents interested in local weather data collecting met Jan. 8 to obtain more information on how to record and share local weather observations on the website Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network or CoCoRaHs. Volunteers in locations around the United States, Canada and the Bahamas measure rain, hail and snow in their backyards, enter it on the website and within minutes it is included in maps and data analysis tools.

Swan Valley resident and CoCoRaHs volunteer Kathy Martin is a retired science teacher and weather enthusiast. Martin hosted the presentation to share her enthusiasm with collecting weather data and showing others how they can share and compare it on the CoCoRaHs website.

CoCoRaHs was developed as a result of a storm in Fort Collins, Colo. in 1997 that dropped a foot of rain in one area of the city and only a small amount in other parts. The flood it created resulted in $200 million in damages and five deaths. In 1998 CoCoRaHs began to operate with the goal of mapping and reporting potentially damaging weather. In 2010 it went nationwide and international with volunteers' vital precipitation data making weather more accessible to everyone.

This information then gets used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), including the National Weather Service, local meteorologists, emergency managers, local municipalities, farmers, event planners, The Weather Channel, airports, mosquito control, professional sports teams and amateur weather observers.

Martin said the goal of CoCoRaHs is to educate people by training them how to collect data accurately and how to use that data. CoCoRaHs provides training to potential volunteers on how to install gauges properly away from trees, fences and other obstructing features, to measure and transmit reports. They require a standard rain gauge which make the precipitation reports accurate and useful to others. The rain gauge holds up to 11 inches of rain.

Martin assembled a snow board on her property. She also uses a four-inch stovepipe to get core samples of the snow to get a measurement and the water content of the snow.

When volunteers sign up, they submit their coordinates of latitude and longitude for the map. The webpage displays recorded precipitation at either the county, the state or the national scale. Dots of varied colors represent amounts of precipitation from lowest to highest.

Martin said data can be compared within a neighborhood, county or state and the whole country. The site allows the observer to be as detailed as they want. There is also an opportunity to record multiple day data if the volunteer is not available for daily measurement. The site welcomes photos of phenomena such as halos around the sun and the northern lights. The information is all searchable on the CoCoRaHs site.

Martin added an important feature of reporting on the website is that flooding, strong winds and other types of dangerous weather conditions can be reported and the warning will be put out in emergency broadcasts.

Martin enjoys recording her observations and measurements daily and comparing her data with others in the area. She said she is amazed at the diversity of the results. She augments her precipitation data with other observations in her notes. Her notes include frost formation, condition of the soil moisture, hail, snowflakes, thunder and temperature.

Those in attendance agreed that the comparisons between areas are amazing. A participant said that there can be four degrees difference between her house and the highway a short distance away and the snow measurement can vary greatly. Many of them kept journals or wrote it on the calendar but agreed that it is good to share with others on a larger scale.

Another liked the online graphs available on the website that can be read much more quickly than sentences. Others agreed that when one is aware of the weather, a person can feel connected to it and sense the changes.

For more information or how to start submitting weather data, call Martin at 406-253-5027, email her at kathymartin7314@gmail.com or visit cocorahs.org

 

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