Henry Reges Of CocoRaHS And His Fabulous Low Cost Measuring Devices
We want one, and want everyone we know to get one too! Henry Reges, CoCoRaHs Coordinator from the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University is modeling the newest and coolest rage in weather-geekdom. In his right hand is a fabulous 11″ rain gauge you install in your yard and then join the 15,000 other Americans creating the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network by logging into their website and posting your results. In Henry’s left hand is an ET measuring thingy. Now you too can find out the ETo of ALFALFA in your own back yard. Don’t forget to take 80% of that number to derive the ETo of cool season turfgrass!
These things are so very cool and wiki, that we at G3 seriously are contemplating including one in every Watershed Wise Core Concepts Workshop registration package. For those of us who are engaged in rainwater harvesting or other Low Impact Design, participating in this national effort to better map and understand weather data is incredibly important. And the charts! Did we tell you about the charts? They’re fabulous!
Rain Does Not Fall The Same For All!
CoCoRaHS is a grassroots volunteer network of backyard weather observers of all ages and backgrounds working together to measure and map precipitation (rain, hail and snow) in their local communities. By using low-cost measurement tools, stressing training and education, and utilizing an interactive website, CoCoRaHS aims to provide the highest quality data for natural resource, education and research applications. The only requirements to join are an enthusiasm for watching and reporting weather conditions and a desire to learn more about how weather can effect and impact our lives.
The CoCoRaHS web page provides the ability for observers to see their observations mapped out in “real time”, as well as providing a wealth of information for all data users.
