Source: NC CLIMATE OFFICE, 3/9/21


As any college basketball fan knows, the state of North Carolina tends to perform well in the month of March. But no matter which color jersey you root for, you can help our state succeed in another March Madness competition, all while helping meteorologists more accurately track precipitation across the country.

The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow network, or CoCoRaHS, is a collection of volunteer observers who report daily precipitation totals from their homes to better assist meteorologists in creating a high-density precipitation network across the country.

CoCoRaHS came about as a result of a flash flood in Fort Collins, Colorado in 1997. A lack of precipitation measurements in the hardest-hit neighborhoods led to an unexpected flood that caused $200 million in damages. North Carolina became the 21st state to join the program in 2007, and we currently have almost 1,000 active observers across the state!

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