Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network

Are you interested in helping your National Weather Service Office? Become a CoCoRaHS observer! Did you know NWS Albuquerque is a CoCoRaHS site? Click here to see all of our CoCoRaHS reports.

What is CoCoRaHS?

CoCoRaHS stands for Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network. CoCoRaHS is a non-profit organization that relies on volunteers like you to report precipitation (rain, snow, and hail) that falls in your own backyard. Using a recommended 4-inch gauge, observers input their observations daily onto the CoCoRaHS website. The goal of CoCoRaHS is to collect high quality precipitation data, increase the density of precipitation reports across the country, and encourage others to participate in meteorology!

How did CoCoRaHS start?

CoCoRaHS was started in 1998 by the Colorado Climate Center at Colorado State University in response to the Fort Collins flood of 1997. A localized storm dumped over a foot of rain in portions of Fort Collins while other parts of the city received smaller amounts. CoCoRaHS was started with the intent of doing a better job mapping precipitation and reporting storms. Today, CoCoRaHS has expanded to all fifty states and has even gone international. New Mexico was the fourth state to join CoCoRaHS in March of 2005.

NWS Albuquerque is a CoCoRaHS site!

Our station name is 5.5 S Albuquerque.

Who can participate?

Anyone! All you need is an interest in weather, a CoCoRaHS rain gauge, and an Internet connection.

Why should I volunteer?

Can you recall a time when you received a lot of rainfall, but the official rainfall measurement at the airport was only a trace? Precipitation is highly variable. Data sources are few and far apart, but that is where you come in! You can help fill in some of the gaps and give meteorologists a more complete picture of where and how much precipitation fell.

This sounds great! How do I sign up?

Visit the CoCoRaHS website today to become an important part of the meteorological community.

Questions?

If you have any questions about CoCoRaHS, such as how to join or how to take measurements, feel free to contact NWS Albuquerque or State Coordinator Dr. Dave DuBois.