GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Did you know you can submit weather information from your own backyard to the National Weather Service?
The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network, or CoCoRaHS, is a nationwide program that allows individuals to do just that.
“Forecast models have gotten a lot more accurate over the past decades… because of better data, and the more data we have, the better the forecasts are going to be,” said Kevin Erb, one of the main coordinators of the CoCoRaHS program for Wisconsin at UW-Green Bay.
He says the more often people report weather information, the more accurate forecast models may be.
“One of the challenges in Wisconsin in general is that we don’t have good information on drought conditions. So, last year was actually the first time that we had an extreme drought designated here in Wisconsin and the National Weather Service says it’s because of CoCoRaHS and other observers that reported soil conditions.”
There are a significant number of observers in metropolitan areas such as Appleton and Green Bay — however, less so in more rural areas. Erb says they welcome people everywhere to sign up, and now is an especially good time to do it.
“There’s a nationwide competition every March to see which state can actually recruit the most new active observers. Unfortunately, Minnesota has beaten us every single year. We picked up about 128 last year, Minnesota picked up well over 600. But the observers here in Wisconsin tend to follow through.”
Erb said the annual event, called the Precipitation Absurdity, is a fun way to bring attention for citizens to contribute to climatological science.
To signup for the CoCoRaHS program, click here. To learn more about the annual Precipitation Absurdity in March, click here.
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