Released December 17, 2008
MOSCOW, Idaho —- Idaho’s state climatologist is inviting residents to join a citizen science network that will monitor precipitation statewide.
Russ Qualls, a University of Idaho agricultural engineering professor, will coordinate the state’s participation in the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network or CoCoRaHS.
The formal launch on Jan. 1 will make Idaho the 38th state to participate in the network, which claims more than 12,000 volunteer observers nationwide.
By the end of 2009, Qualls said he’d like to have 100 observers contributing measurements statewide. The more observers who participate, he added, the better the picture will be of precipitation patterns across the state.
“Ultimately, I’d like to see hundreds of observers across the state,” Qualls added. Scientifically there is strength in numbers. More stations also provide a better chance of measuring intense storms that only cover small areas.
The network’s big advantage is also the human touch. The collaborative network relies on daily measurements by volunteers, who correct problems soon after they occur. Problems at many backyard automated stations can be unresolved for days.
The network was founded in 1998 by Colorado State University researchers after a flash flood hit Fort Collins, Colo., the previous July. Localized heavy rain created the flooding, which caught the city by surprise, killing five people and causing $200 million in damages.
To help observers gather accurate data, the network asks observers to use a 4-inch rain gauge, which costs about $23, he added.
The time commitment is modest as well. Qualls said observers are encouraged to take a few minutes each day to take measurements sometime between 6 and 9 a.m. and submit the data to the network’s website.
The information is then updated and mapped daily to show precipitation patterns across the state and elsewhere so both professional forecasters and the public have access to it.
The network’s web site offers more detailed information about procedures and measuring tools at http://www.cocorahs.org. Qualls can be reached by email at rqualls@uidaho.edu.
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Contacts: Russ Qualls, 208-885-6184, rqualls@uidaho.edu
Bill Loftus, (208) 885-7694, bloftus@uidaho.edu
