BOONE—Local weather watchers of all ages in northwest North Carolina are needed to participate in the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS). The volunteer weather observers will help collect precipitation data using inexpensive equipment in their backyard.

Assistant Professor Baker Perry and Professor Pete Soulé, both from Appalachian State University’s Department of Geography and Planning, are helping recruit volunteers for the National Weather Service project.

Baker Perry, right, checks precipitation measurements from the much-needed rain that fell across Watauga County Friday. Perry, an assistant professor in the Department of Geography and Planning at Appalachian State University, is recruiting volunteer weather watchers for the National Weather Services’ Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network. With Perry are Sophie Dupont, an undergraduate biology major from Charlottesville, Va., graduate geography major Daniel Griggs from Jefferson City, Tenn., and Matthew Anthony, a community and regional planning major from Athens, Ga. (Appalachian photo by University Photographer Mike Rominger)

“This initiative holds great potential to improve our understanding of the complex precipitation patterns that exist here in the mountains,” Perry said. Perry’s research focuses on the effect mountain topography has on precipitation in the southern Appalachian Mountains.

“The data from this project will help researchers to better understand the spatial patterns and physical processes of precipitation in areas of complex topography. It will also help the National Weather Service and other forecasters better verify their forecast products, which should ultimately improve weather forecasts,” Perry said.

CoCoRaHS volunteers must use a standard scientific rain gauge, available through the CoCoRaHS Web site for about $30, including shipping. Volunteers install the rain gauge on their property about five feet above the ground in a site with little or no obstruction from trees or other objects.

Volunteers must also complete a short online training program available through the CoCoRaHS Web site. They should be willing to enter precipitation data between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. daily through the CoCoRaHS Web site.

To become a local volunteer, register online at http://www.cocorahs.org or e-mail perrylb@appstate.edu

The community weather network originated with the Colorado Climate Center at Colorado State University in 1998. In the years since, CoCoRaHS has expanded to include more than 4,500 observers in 20 states. North Carolina is the 21st state to participate in the program.

“Precipitation can vary significantly across small areas, and especially so when there are appreciable terrain influences such as in northwest North Carolina,” said Steve Keighton, science and operations officer with the National Weather Service in Blacksburg, Va.

“Operational meteorologists, climatologists and researchers alike can always benefit from more observational data, and the CoCoRaHS volunteer network is expected to be an invaluable resource toward increasing our understanding of rain and snow variations across the region,” Keighton said. “In addition, we hope to learn where large hail from thunderstorms may have fallen in locations where we might not normally hear about it. So collecting these kinds of precipitation observations and maintaining a record of them will be a tremendous benefit in ultimately providing better forecast and warning information to the public.”

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