How to become part of Canada’s community weather network

A volunteer network of weather enthusiasts are furthering scientific research by tracking precipitation in their area, and they need help.

Climatologist Rick Fleetwood is a member of the organization “CoCoRaHS” or the Community Collaborative Rain Hain and Snow Network.

“It is a volunteer, non-profit program that measures and reports precipitation on a daily basis,” he explained.

Fleetwood said the organization began in Colorado in 1998 and spread to Canada in 2011. They have about 800 volunteers across the country, but they’re always in need of more assistance.

“In the more rural areas, some of the more northern and central areas of the province and certainly the north we still need some more volunteers in these areas,” he said.

Volunteer coordinator for the organization, Juliet Hull, said the opportunity is open to anyone.

“Anyone who has an internet connection, a smartphone or a landline phone, whether you’re a retiree or a kindergartener with your school, anyone across Canada is able to join.”

The information collected is available on the CoCoRaHS website for anyone to view.

LINK: https://www.cocorahs.org/Canada.aspx

Those interested in becoming a part of the network can go to the website and click ‘join’.