Rutgers Looking for Volunteers to Measure New Jersey Rain and Snow

New Brunswick, NJ--This past February, New Jersey joined a nationwide precipitation monitoring program called the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS). The rapidly expanding program has more than 7,500 active volunteer observers in 27 states, and hopes to sign up hundreds of New Jersey residents to take daily observations of precipitation.

Based out of the Office of the New Jersey State Climatologist at Rutgers University’s Agricultural Experiment Station, the NJ chapter of CoCoRaHS has so far enlisted more than 120 volunteers for the program. The volunteers take a few minutes each day to report the amount of rain or snow that has fallen in their backyards. All that is required to participate is a 4" diameter plastic rain gage, a ruler to measure snow, an internet-connected computer, and most importantly, the desire to watch and report weather conditions.

Observations from CoCoRaHS volunteers are widely used by scientists and agencies whose decisions depend on timely and high-quality precipitation data. For example, hydrologists and meteorologist use the data to warn about the potential impacts of flood and drought.

 “Weather matters to everybody – meteorologists, car and crop insurance companies, outdoor enthusiasts and homeowners,” according to CoCoRaHS founder and national director Nolan Doesken. “Precipitation is perhaps the most important, but also the most highly variable element of our climate."

The addition of hundreds of NJ CoCoRaHS observations will supplement the current automated NJ Weather and Climate Network.  As Dave Robinson, NJ State Climatologist and NJ CoCoRaHS co-coordinator, notes, “The wealth of observations will provide a much more detailed picture of rain and snowfall patterns than previously possible.”

“Rainfall amounts vary from one street to the next," said Doesken. "It is wonderful having large numbers of enthusiastic volunteers and literally thousands of rain gauges to help track storms. We learn something new every day, and every volunteer makes a significant scientific contribution.”

CoCoRaHS volunteers are asked to read their rain gage and measure any snow at the same time each day (preferably between 5 and 9 AM). Measurements are then uploaded by the observer to the CoCoRaHS website, where they can be viewed in tables and maps. Training is provided for CoCoRaHS observers, either through online training modules, or preferably, in group training session that will be held at several places around NJ over the coming several months.

Mathieu Gerbush, Service Climatologist in the Office of the NJ State Climatologist and program co-coordinator says that “I’m looking forward to welcoming enthusiastic volunteers into the NJ CoCoRaHS fold and invite anyone interested to register at the CoCoRaHS web site.