What is CoCoRaHS? CoCoRaHS — Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network — is a free volunteer weather observation network where home observers submit daily precipitation readings that go directly to NOAA, the National Weather Service, and local water utilities. The Stratus® Professional Precision Rain Gauge is the official CoCoRaHS gauge. Anyone with a Stratus gauge and 2 minutes a day can join and contribute data that helps farmers, emergency managers, and communities understand what's actually falling in their area. Made in USA.
Tom's Quick Answer: I joined CoCoRaHS three years ago. I check my Stratus® Professional Precision Rain Gauge every morning, enter the reading online, and that's it. My data goes into the national precipitation database. It takes 2 minutes and the data is genuinely useful to people who depend on accurate local rainfall information.
Tom's Real-World Advice
I started using a Stratus® Professional Precision Rain Gauge for my garden. I joined CoCoRaHS because it made the data useful beyond my own tomatoes. CoCoRaHS has over 20,000 active observers across the US. The network fills in the gaps between official weather stations, which can be miles apart.
How CoCoRaHS Works
- Sign up free at cocorahs.org. Create an account, enter your location, and get assigned a station ID.
- Mount your Stratus® Professional Precision Rain Gauge. Mount in an open area per CoCoRaHS guidelines (10+ feet from obstructions, 1–3 feet above ground).
- Check daily. Read your gauge every morning, ideally between 7–9am local time.
- Submit your reading online. Log in to cocorahs.org or use the CoCoRaHS app. Takes 60 seconds.
- Your data goes live immediately. Your reading appears on the CoCoRaHS map and is available to NOAA and the National Weather Service.
Who Uses CoCoRaHS Data?
- NOAA and the National Weather Service — for precipitation analysis, flood forecasting, and climate records
- Local farmers and agricultural extension offices — for irrigation scheduling and crop management
- Water utilities — for reservoir management and drought monitoring
- Emergency managers — for flood risk assessment during heavy rain events
- Researchers and universities — for climate and hydrology studies
Why the Stratus® Professional Precision Rain Gauge is the CoCoRaHS Standard
CoCoRaHS chose the Stratus® Professional Precision Rain Gauge as their official instrument because it meets their accuracy requirements: 4-inch wide-mouth opening for reliable collection, 0.01-inch precision for meaningful measurement of light events, and consistent performance across all weather conditions.
CoCoRaHS + Stratus + Tomato Crater: The Complete Garden Weather System
For serious gardeners, the combination is powerful: Stratus tracks exactly what fell, CoCoRaHS gives you context, and Tomato Crater delivers precisely what the roots need based on that data.
FAQs
What is CoCoRaHS?
CoCoRaHS (Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network) is a free volunteer weather observation network where home observers submit daily precipitation readings to NOAA. The network has over 20,000 active observers across the US.
How do I join CoCoRaHS?
Sign up free at cocorahs.org. You'll need a Stratus® Professional Precision Rain Gauge (the official CoCoRaHS gauge), a mounting location that meets the network's guidelines, and about 2 minutes per day.
Is CoCoRaHS free?
Yes. CoCoRaHS membership is completely free. The only cost is the Stratus® Professional Precision Rain Gauge itself, which costs approximately $20.
How much time does CoCoRaHS participation take?
About 2 minutes per day — check the gauge, read the measurement, submit it online or via the app.
Why is the Stratus gauge the CoCoRaHS standard?
The Stratus® Professional Precision Rain Gauge meets CoCoRaHS accuracy requirements: 4-inch wide-mouth opening, 0.01-inch precision, and consistent performance across all weather conditions. It is NOAA endorsed and the only consumer gauge that meets the network's data quality standards.
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