The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow (CoCoRaHS) Network is leading a Rain Gauge Rally offsite link in March, a friendly competition to see which state can recruit the most new citizen scientists to record precipitation.
A CoCoRaHS volunteer’s rain gauge at North Carolina station ID: NC-CR-72 (Indian Beach 0.0 W) on September 14, 2023. (Image credit: Victor Heinrich, CoCoRaHS volunteer)
CoCoRaHS is a non-profit organization with more than 25,000 active volunteers measuring rain, hail, and snow from their backyards. Volunteers use affordable rain gauges that meet National Weather Service standards. Their observations supplement data collection and monitoring efforts by professional NOAA researchers and meteorologists.
As of March 19, more than 680 new volunteers have signed up as part of the 2025 Rain Gauge Rally. Minnesota, the five-time winner, leads the pack with more than 216 new volunteers so far. The winning state receives the CoCoRaHS Cup, a stainless steel rain gauge, to celebrate their victory.
Want to help your state win the CoCoRaHS Cup? Sign up offsite link today! Measuring typically takes less than five minutes, and submitting data through the CoCoRaHS app offsite link makes it even easier to do.
CoCoRaHS is the single largest source of daily precipitation data used by the National Weather Service, including the National Hurricane Center. Other data users include insurance adjusters, ranchers and farmers, outdoor enthusiasts, and teachers. You can explore the data with the CoCoRaHS Data Explorer tool offsite link.
If you join this month, you’ll be helping collect valuable data and giving your state a chance to win the CoCoRaHS Cup for their annual March recruiting drive.
