CENTRAL ILLINOIS (WAND) - CoCoRaHS stands for Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow network. It is a unique community based network of volunteers of all ages and backgrounds working together to measure and map precipitation. The network originated at the Colorado Climate Center at Colorado State University in 1998 thanks in part to a devastating flood that occurred in the previous year.

The ultimate goal of the program is to have one observer per square mile in urban areas and one observer every 36 square miles in rural areas.

This is a nationwide organization whose observers data is used by the National Weather Service and hydrologists. It is important to have as much data as possible because rain totals can vary widely, even in just one county or city.

It’s easy to join and only takes about five minutes a day to participate. Once trained, volunteers collect data at around the same time every day. Data would include how much rain you received, size of hail you may have seen and also how much snow you received, all within 24 hours. Then you submit your results online. That’s it!

Free training sessions are held around the state at various times of the year and also online.

For more information, or if you would like to participate, click here.