Volunteer weather observers needed

The National Weather Service office in Paducah is looking for people in the area who enjoy recording weather conditions in their own backyards.

Those who like to record weather conditions in the area are invited to join the CoCoRaHS network.

All additional new CoCoRaHS observers are welcome in Illinois, Kentucky and Missouri.

The program especially is interested in finding additional new observers in the following counties in the region which do not currently have any observers:

In Southern Illinois:   Hardin, Pulaski, Wayne.

In Western Kentucky: Caldwell, Carlisle, Hickman, Livingston, McLean, Muhlenberg, Union, Webster.

Volunteers of all ages and backgrounds (citizen scientists) measure precipitation in their own backyards as part of CoCoRaHS: the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network which has grown to over 20,000 volunteer observers covering every state of the country.  

More volunteers are urgently needed. Recording the weather takes less than five minutes a day.

The CoCoRaHS network engages volunteers of all ages, from grade schoolers on up to folks in their 90s to document the size, intensity, duration and patterns of precipitation by taking simple measurements in their own backyards. 

Volunteers only need a cylindrical rain gauge, some training and an interest in weather to participate in the program. 

The specific rain gauges that CoCoRaHS uses are available from distributors on the network’s website (www.cocorahs.org).

Data from CoCoRaHS volunteers are now being routinely viewed and used by many professions and organizations.

Data are used for many applications such as water resource planning, severe storm warnings, teaching earth science, predicting crop yields and for assessing hail damage.

Joining the CoCoRaHS program is free; however, all observers are required to purchase and install an official CoCoRaHS rain gauge to ensure accuracy and consistency from all observations. 

Cost of the rain gauge is approximately $30 plus shipping and can be purchased from a link on the CoCoRaHS website.