Contact: Sammy McDavid
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Attention, Mississippians wishing to do more than just talk about the weather!
A national program being led in the state by Mississippi State soon will provide opportunities for members of the general public to join the new Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network.
While its acronym--CoCoRaHS--is a bit unwieldy, the network's mission is simple, said Charles Wax, state climatologist and a veteran member of the university's geosciences department faculty.
"This is a unique, nonprofit program staffed by volunteers of all ages and backgrounds, working together to measure and map precipitation throughout the year," he said.
Kathy Sherman-Morris, an assistant professor in the department, is state coordinator.
"Weather buffs now can play an active role in meteorological reporting, using inexpensive equipment in their backyards," she explained. "Basically, we have only five requirements."
They include having:
--An enthusiasm for watching and reporting weather conditions;
--The self-discipline to enter precipitation data daily between 6-9 a.m.;
--A computer with Internet access and ability to browse the network Web site to enter local daily precipitation data;
--An official-type rain gauge (that may be purchased on the Web site); and
--The willingness to view an online observer training slide show.
In addition to MSU's geosciences department, co-sponsors of the Mississippi CoCoRaHS are the National Weather Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's field office in Stoneville.
"The Mississippi network's Web site will be activated Friday, Aug. 1," Sherman-Morris said. "It may be entered through the national Web site, which is http://www.cocorahs.org.
"Once the volunteers are registered and begin reporting, their rainfall observations will become part of the record, as well as being plotted on maps of the United States and Mississippi," she added.
Wax said the maps and observations also will enable the participants "to see how their observations fit in with their network neighbors across the country."
Questions about volunteering may be answered by a CoCoRaHS coordinator via the above listed Web site. First, click on "Mississippi" on the U.S. map, then locate the list of state and local coordinators provided on the state home page.
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For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.