**** Info via Environment Canada
Join a volunteer weather network!
CoCoRaHS Canada (Community Collaborative Rain Hail and Snow) is a volunteer network of mostly citizens and organizations such as watershed groups, conservation authorities, and agriculture organizations that measure and report precipitation daily on the network website or app.
In Canada, our meteorologists use this data to help monitor the extent and severity of storm systems. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada use it in monitoring for droughts, and many other organizations and individuals use this important information regularly, including flood forecast agencies and emergency responders.
The official CoCoRaHS precipitation gauge set to measure rainfall. Credit: CoCoRaHS.
CoCoRaHS is looking for new volunteers!
Although there are hundreds of CoCoRaHS volunteers across Canada, there are still holes to fill in the network, especially in the western and northern regions. Covering as large an area as possible is important because precipitation can vary significantly, even over short distances.
As observations are submitted, the maps and database are continuously updated so you can view your data almost immediately after submitting a report. It’s interesting to see what others are reporting in your area… did you have the biggest rainfall or snowfall? The CoCoRaHS map will let you know!
Volunteer measuring snowfall and snow pack depth with a ruler. Credit: CoCoRaHS.
And it’s easy to get involved! Go the CoCoRaHS Canada website to find all the information and training materials to get you started. You can start reporting as soon as you receive your gauge, which can be purchased at a low cost from the CoCoRaHS Canada Store.
Don’t be concerned about reporting every day! You can simply submit a multi-day report on the first day you start reporting again.
Interested in joining our citizen-science volunteer network? Register here.
For questions, please contact us at climatatlantique-climateatlantic@ec.gc.ca.
