Help your CoCoRaHS by Donating Today.

Go to https://advancing.colostate.edu/csu.asp?COE/COCORAHS/GIVE

And Donate on Line
When filling out the Donation form be sure to Donate on Behalf of your county.

Also Double increase your contribution by looking up your employer to see if
they have a matching contribution program.
http://www.matchinggifts.com/colostate/

Timely information!
Thanks for submitting your CoCoRaHS report. One of the regular users of CoCoRaHS
rain, hail and snow data is the National Weather Service (NWS). Regardless of
when you submit your reports, the information you transmit is useful and
appreciated. However, if you would like your data used in daily weather and
river forecasts, then please submit your daily precipitation report by 9 AM each
day. Submit hail and intense precipitation reports as soon as possible during or
after storms to aid forecasters in issuing severe weather statements.

The National Weather Service has opened up a TOLL FREE Hotline for reporting
Severe Weather. This Hotline is for the Public as well as Trained SKYWARN
Spotters.

YOU MUST READ THE ENTIRE POST PRIOR TO REPORTING.
The number is posted at the bottom of this notice.

The National Weather Service encourages everyone to report severe weather.

HOW TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER USING THIS SYSTEM

in order to use this system you must know your,

1: Latitude Longitude by Degrees and Minutes

2: Or Zip Code

If either of these two items are not available then you must leave a very
detailed voice message at the end as to your location

What State are you in,
What County are you in,
What City are you in or closest to,
What is the nearest cross street, highway or interstate,
What mile post,
What is a well known Landmark,
What direction is the storm or event from your location
Is it still occurring,
what direction is it moving I.E. North, South, East, or West.

Be as detailed, in your report and location as possible IDENTIFY YOUR SELF WITH
YOUR NAME PHONE NUMBER, ADDRESS AND CoCoRaHS Station Number
When Prompted to leave a Voice Message.

When Prompted to leave a Voice Message, Remain Calm. Make sure you are in a safe
location. The NWS would much rather not
receive a report if it puts your safety in jeopardy.
YOUR SAFETY COMES FIRST!!!

Be as descriptive as possible, include thickness of tree limbs, rainfall
amounts and any damage or weather occurrence you feel is important to report.

SEVERE WEATHER REPORTING GUIDE LINES FOR WASHINGTON STATE

WESTERN WASHINGTON REGION

1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debris being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado

TORNADO, WATERSPOUT, FUNNEL CLOUD, WALL CLOUD -

Location, time, and direction of movement. Is it still visible? Watch for
rotation in the cloud(s). Any damage?

HAIL - Pea-sized or larger. Any damage?

LIGHTNING - Frequent (4 or more per minute) cloud-to-ground lightning inforested
areas.

DAMAGING WINDS - Trees/power lines knocked down, damage to homes, etc. If you
have an anemometer, report any sustained winds over 35 MPH or gusts over 50 mph.
You Can also use the Beaufort Scale for an estimate. Note: sustained winds are a
one
minute average.

HEAVY RAIN - One-half (0.50) inch in one hour. Two inches or more in 24 hours or
less. Has it ended?

FLOODING - OF ANY KIND! Are waters rising or falling? Any damage, mud or rock
slides, and/or roads blocked?

SNOW - One inch accumulation or more in three hours. 4 inches in 12 hours or
less.

FREEZING PRECIPITATION - Any accumulation of sleet or freezing rain / drizzle.

POOR VISIBILITY - Reduced visibility adversely impacting transportation. Less
than one-half miles for DENSE FOG and BLOWING SNOW.
BLOWING DUST and VOLCANIC ASH. Less than 300 feet

SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON REGION

1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debries being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado

Wind: 50 mph or stronger
Hail: 3/4 inch (penny or dime size) or larger in diameter
Flooding: Any significant amount of water in normally dry areas
River Flooding: Any river rising above their normal bank level
Heavy Rain: Rain rates of 1 inch per hour or greater
And - Rain greater than 1 inch in 24 hours
Heavy Snow: Call while snowing at a rate of 1 inch per hour or greater
And - Call with total snow fall if >= 1 inch when the snow ends
Low Visibilities: Visibility less than 1/2 mile due to fog, dust, rain, or snow
Freezing Rain: Any freezing rain

EASTERN WASHINGTON REGION

FUNNEL CLOUD OR TORNADO
1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debries being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado

HAIL
Pea-sized or larger

STRONG WINDS
30 mph+ or winds that produce any damage. Estimate using Beaufort chart.

HEAVY RAINFALL
0.50 inch in one hour - showery
1 inch in 12 hrs or 1.5 inches in 24 hrs – steady rain

FLOODING
Of any kind...including possible dam or levee failure. Watch for changing water
levels.

SNOW
2 inches or more – valleys
6 inches or more - mountains

MIXED PRECIPITATION
Any freezing rain or sleet

POOR VISIBILITY
One half mile or less in blowing dust or snow etc.

TRAVEL PROBLEMS DUE TO WEATHER
Conditions where poor or hazardous travel conditions observed or reported

ANY DAMAGE, INJURY OR LOSS OF LIFE DUE TO WEATHER
Be sure to include location, time and specific cause

SOUTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON REGION

1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debries being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado
Location, time and direction of movement.

Hail: Pea size or larger.

Lightning: Continuous lightning (more than 6 flashes per minute).

Heavy Rain: Half an inch or more per hour. Report heavy rain even if you are
outside a flood prone area.

Heavy Snow: Accumulations of four inches in 12 hours or one inch per hour.

Flooding: Of ANY kind, including dam or levee failure. Are waters rising or
falling?

Damaging Wind: Trees or power lines knocked down, damage to buildings, etc.
Report any wind of at least 40 mph using the Beaufort Scale.

Fog, Blowing Dust, Blowing Snow: Report initial onslaught of event when poor
visibility impacts travel.

Freezing Rain: Report initial onslaught of event when it impacts travel.
Mudslides: Any event causing damage or road closure.

NATIONAL SEVERE WEATHER REPORTING HOT LINE 877-633-6772

The National Weather Service has opened up a TOLL FREE Hotline for reporting
Severe Weather. This Hotline is for the Public as well as Trained SKYWARN
Spotters.

YOU MUST READ THE ENTIRE POST PRIOR TO REPORTING.
The number is posted at the bottom of this notice.

The National Weather Service encourages everyone to report severe weather.

HOW TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER USING THIS SYSTEM

in order to use this system you must know your,

1: Latitude Longitude by Degrees and Minutes

2: Or Zip Code

If either of these two items are not available then you must leave a very
detailed voice message at the end as to your location

What State are you in,
What County are you in,
What City are you in or closest to,
What is the nearest cross street, highway or interstate,
What mile post,
What is a well known Landmark,
What direction is the storm or event from your location
Is it still occurring,
what direction is it moving I.E. North, South, East, or West.

Be as detailed, in your report and location as possible IDENTIFY YOUR SELF WITH
YOUR NAME PHONE NUMBER, ADDRESS AND CoCoRaHS Station Number
When Prompted to leave a Voice Message.

When Prompted to leave a Voice Message, Remain Calm. Make sure you are in a safe
location. The NWS would much rather not
receive a report if it puts your safety in jeopardy.
YOUR SAFETY COMES FIRST!!!

Be as descriptive as possible, include thickness of tree limbs, rainfall
amounts and any damage or weather occurrence you feel is important to report.

SEVERE WEATHER REPORTING GUIDE LINES FOR WASHINGTON STATE

WESTERN WASHINGTON REGION

1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debris being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado

TORNADO, WATERSPOUT, FUNNEL CLOUD, WALL CLOUD -

Location, time, and direction of movement. Is it still visible? Watch for
rotation in the cloud(s). Any damage?

HAIL - Pea-sized or larger. Any damage?

LIGHTNING - Frequent (4 or more per minute) cloud-to-ground lightning inforested
areas.

DAMAGING WINDS - Trees/power lines knocked down, damage to homes, etc. If you
have an anemometer, report any sustained winds over 35 MPH or gusts over 50 mph.
You Can also use the Beaufort Scale for an estimate. Note: sustained winds are a
one
minute average.

HEAVY RAIN - One-half (0.50) inch in one hour. Two inches or more in 24 hours or
less. Has it ended?

FLOODING - OF ANY KIND! Are waters rising or falling? Any damage, mud or rock
slides, and/or roads blocked?

SNOW - One inch accumulation or more in three hours. 4 inches in 12 hours or
less.

FREEZING PRECIPITATION - Any accumulation of sleet or freezing rain / drizzle.

POOR VISIBILITY - Reduced visibility adversely impacting transportation. Less
than one-half miles for DENSE FOG and BLOWING SNOW.
BLOWING DUST and VOLCANIC ASH. Less than 300 feet

SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON REGION

1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debries being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado

Wind: 50 mph or stronger
Hail: 3/4 inch (penny or dime size) or larger in diameter
Flooding: Any significant amount of water in normally dry areas
River Flooding: Any river rising above their normal bank level
Heavy Rain: Rain rates of 1 inch per hour or greater
And - Rain greater than 1 inch in 24 hours
Heavy Snow: Call while snowing at a rate of 1 inch per hour or greater
And - Call with total snow fall if >= 1 inch when the snow ends
Low Visibilities: Visibility less than 1/2 mile due to fog, dust, rain, or snow
Freezing Rain: Any freezing rain

EASTERN WASHINGTON REGION

FUNNEL CLOUD OR TORNADO
1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debries being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado

HAIL
Pea-sized or larger

STRONG WINDS
30 mph+ or winds that produce any damage. Estimate using Beaufort chart.

HEAVY RAINFALL
0.50 inch in one hour - showery
1 inch in 12 hrs or 1.5 inches in 24 hrs – steady rain

FLOODING
Of any kind...including possible dam or levee failure. Watch for changing water
levels.

SNOW
2 inches or more – valleys
6 inches or more - mountains

MIXED PRECIPITATION
Any freezing rain or sleet

POOR VISIBILITY
One half mile or less in blowing dust or snow etc.

TRAVEL PROBLEMS DUE TO WEATHER
Conditions where poor or hazardous travel conditions observed or reported

ANY DAMAGE, INJURY OR LOSS OF LIFE DUE TO WEATHER
Be sure to include location, time and specific cause

SOUTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON REGION

1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debries being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado
Location, time and direction of movement.

Hail: Pea size or larger.

Lightning: Continuous lightning (more than 6 flashes per minute).

Heavy Rain: Half an inch or more per hour. Report heavy rain even if you are
outside a flood prone area.

Heavy Snow: Accumulations of four inches in 12 hours or one inch per hour.

Flooding: Of ANY kind, including dam or levee failure. Are waters rising or
falling?

Damaging Wind: Trees or power lines knocked down, damage to buildings, etc.
Report any wind of at least 40 mph using the Beaufort Scale.

Fog, Blowing Dust, Blowing Snow: Report initial onslaught of event when poor
visibility impacts travel.

Freezing Rain: Report initial onslaught of event when it impacts travel.
Mudslides: Any event causing damage or road closure.

NATIONAL SEVERE WEATHER REPORTING HOT LINE 877-633-6772

CoCoRaHS Participants -- friends and family,

I just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and the happiest
of Holidays under the many and varied circumstances that we all have to
enjoy and/or deal with.

It will be a bright and sunny Christmas morning here in Colorado when
the sun rises in an hour or so. We have a few inches of snow on the
ground from earlier this week, but it looks like only a few parts of the
country are waking up to white this AM.

It is also amazing to see this morning that hardly any of us have any
new snow to report. I'm sure more reports will trickle in, but so far
only two of us in the whole country had more than 0.5" of fresh snow to
measure this morning -- quite remarkably "snow free" for any day in the
winter.  But while it's not much of a white Christmas in either the U.S.
or southern Canada -- at least it's been a great year for on-time
holiday travel (the notable exception being New Mexico).  That will
likely change in the next few weeks.

There is a lot of CoCoRaHS news to share, but let's just enjoy the
Holidays now and come back to that later.

Merry Christmas and talk to you soon,

Nolan Doesken
and the whole CoCoRaHS team here at Colorado State University

P.S.  Very, very quiet at our house this AM.  I realize this eventually
happens for many of us, but for the first time since our children were
born, none of our kids are home for Christmas.  It's one of those times
when you can't help but pull out the memories -- especially of those
years when the kids were little.

CoCoRaHS rain (and snow) gaugers -- plus friends and family.

Happy New Year

As 2011 comes to an end, I want to wish everyone a productive and
satisfying "Happy New Year".

We realize that these are good times for many of us, but not for all.
Just this week one of our loyal CoCoRaHS volunteer leaders and a
long-time personal friend from the Denver area died from complications
from cancer that had only been diagnosed a few months ago.  Scott was
only in his 50s, had recently retired from the U.S. Bureau of Land
Management, and had so many exciting plans for the future. Some things
just don't seem right or fair.  We will miss him dearly.  And nearly
every week I hear from other CoCoRaHS volunteers across the country
dealing with sudden family losses, illnesses and failing health.  Life
is just hard sometimes.  It makes me both sad but also proud.  This is
an interesting part of CoCoRaHS much different than just science --
dealing both with our dynamic weather and our fragile humanity.  In the
big picture, each day that we have the time, the mobility and the
curiosity to go out and check our rain gauge is probably a very good day
and a cause for small celebration.


Less snow this winter

Last year this time, the Northeast was still digging out from a furious
after-Christmas blizzard.  By comparison this has been an easy winter
for most of the country -- at least so far. Based on CoCoRaHS data,
we've had less than half as much snow as "usual" for much of the country
-- with some notable exceptions (e.g. New Mexico).  Chances are things
will change soon, though, as we plow into the two months best known for
"deep winter".  So hang on to your hats and keep a good watch on the skies.


Canada and CoCoRaHS

Did you notice?  Early yesterday morning we turned on "the switch" and
Canadians can now begin to participate in CoCoRaHS.
http://www.cocorahs.org/Canada.aspx  At first, only residents of
Manitoba can join.  Manitoba experienced extreme flooding this spring
and summer and are still reeling from the damages.  Just as in the U.S.,
having more rain gauges and better data may improve flood forecasts and
warnings.  Over the course of the next few months other provinces will
be joining the effort.  By late 2013 hopefully all of Canada will be
included.  When it comes to weather and hydrology, political borders
mean nothing, so it is great to begin this gradual expansion.

Canada Maps

For years, some of you have been wishing that CoCoRaHS provided better
mapping capabilities.  The Canada expansion has given us the opportunity
to test and deploy mapping with "pan and zoom" functions and the ability
to click on data points on the maps.  Canada and the northern U.S.
border (and also Hawaii) will now have these capabilities.  We will be
learning along the way and sometime in 2012 we will be adding these
options to the U.S. and making additional improvements.


CoCoRaHS Generosity Greatly Appreciated.

All I can say is "Thanks so much" for the outpouring of generosity
during the past 3 weeks during our "Five for CoCoRAHS" fundraiser.  As
of today, over $23,000 in gifts have been received to help support the
CoCoRaHS network in 2012.  This is fantastic and will ensure that
progress continues towards better mapping, training, recruiting, etc.

The "Five for CoCoRaHS" campaign continues through January 10th. If you
would still like to make a tax-deductible donation before the end of
2011 or to start off the new year, just click here

http://www.cocorahs.org/Content.aspx?page=2011yearend

or see the link to "Donate" on the CoCoRaHS website   www.cocorahs.org


Donations by mail?

Yes, you do not need to use the on-line donation system provided by our
Colorado State University Foundation.  You may send checks by mail.
There are instructions to "print and mail" near the bottom of the
on-line forms.  Or you can simply make a check out to "Colorado State
University Foundation" with a note in the memo section saying "in
support of CoCoRaHS" and mail this to

Colorado State University Foundation
P.O. Box 1870
Fort Collins, CO 80522-1870

I'll get back to you in a couple of weeks and let you know if we reached
our goal of $38,000. Thanks again.


A minor milestone reached

Last year we aimed to reach 10,000 daily precipitation reports. We never
quite got there, although we had several days between May and September
with more than 9,700 daily reports.  We peaked out at 9869 on June 22.

So while we missed the big goal, we quietly reached a minor milestone
earlier this month (December 2011) when for the first time in CoCoRaHS
history we surpassed 9000 daily reports in December.  Why is this
significant?  The number of CoCoRaHS daily reports typically drops off
during the winter as people strategically avoid the hazard of measuring
snow and ice or head south for the winter.  The fact that we are getting
over 9000 daily reports during winter months nearly guarantees that we
will easily exceed 10,000 when May and June arrive -- and we won't even
have to have a competition.  So this is very exciting news that I wanted
to pass along.


Help CoCoRaHS recruit

We have many wonderful rain gauge reporters all over the country.  But
as you look at the CoCoRaHS maps
         http://www.cocorahs.org/Maps/ViewMap.aspx
you will find that there are still major gaps in nearly every state (New
Jersey may be the one exception  -- good job, NJ CoCoRaHS team).
Hundreds of counties across the country still are without a single
observer.

2012 will be a big year for recruiting, and you can help.  If you know
of anyone who shares our interests (or could learn to appreciate why
observing rainfall matters) please encourage them to join.  We notice
that several people have been signing up this week who "found a new rain
gauge under their Christmas Tree".  Now wasn't that a great recruiting
idea  :-)

Here is the link to register to join CoCoRaHS.

http://www.cocorahs.org/Content.aspx?page=application


ET  --  What?

I also wanted to give you a "heads up" about a new measurement we will
be adding in 2012 -- the measurement of "reference evapotranspiration".
   I'll spare you the details now, but anyone who studies hydrology, soil
moisture, agriculture and the water balance knows that evaporation is
just as important as precipitation -- it's just not so obvious.  So
stand by for news about "ET" in the coming months.


Days getting longer already

Yes, we're now less than 12 weeks away from spring  :-).  Day length
changes very slowly at first -- but most of us can tell that the sun is
already setting just a bit later each evening.  It will be a few weeks
yet before we notice much change in the morning.  But watch the
progression -- which is not quite symmetrical (morning versus evening.
It iss fascinating.

If you need to know sunrise, sunset, moonrise, or moonset information,
here is an interesting link provided by the U.S. Naval Observatory

http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneDay.php


YouTube helps CoCoRaHS

YouTube is familiar territory for some of us (especially the younger
generations) but it may be scary new territory for others.  It turns out
it's a fantastic tool to aid our CoCoRaHS Training and Education efforts.

We have our own YouTube CoCoRaHS Channel and I strongly encourage you to
take a look.  You'll find the link on our CoCoRaHS banner at the top of
each webpage off to the right (along with links to our other social
networking features -- Facebook, Twitter, Blog, etc).

http://www.youtube.com/cocorahs/


Snow Training, CoCoRaHS for Schools, and More

Our comprehensive "Snow Measurement Training" course is now one of the
featured YouTube videos that you can view any time (for those with fast
enough internet connections) at your leisure or anytime you need to
review all or parts of how to measure snow.  I also want to bring to
your attention the first in what will be a series of once-a-month
"Weather Talk" webinars.
http://www.cocorahs.org/Content.aspx?page=wxtalk

Last week we teamed up with the New Jersey State Climatologist to do a
special one-hour presentation about the characteristics and trends in
snowfall and snow cover.  That presentation is now posted on YouTube.
We're doing a presentation on satellite meteorology in January.  Our
schedule for the rest of 2012 will be posted as it develops.

Finally, we have a new "CoCoRaHS Animation" that we prepared
specifically to help encourage teachers to get their students involved
in CoCoRaHS.  If you can spare 2 minutes and 39 seconds, take a look.
http://www.youtube.com/cocorahs/#p/u/4/dDJw8-6jtCE  Share it with your
favorite teachers in your community.

We plan to utilize some of the funds donated to CoCoRaHS this month to
create similar animiations describing how to measure and report rain,
hail and snow.  This should be a whole lot of fun!


A Christmas egg

Things are fairly peaceful here on our little farm on the north edge of
Fort Collins.  After a several week lull, our hens chose Christmas day
as the day to start laying eggs again -- very thoughtful.  They now look
great with a new coat of feathers.  We watched a fox try to sneak past
the dogs into the chicken coop at dusk the other evening.  He would have
loved a chicken dinner, but it didn't work out for him this time.  The
horse corral has been quite a mess the last two days as our first
"Chinook winds" of the winter quickly melted the month-old snow and ice
leaving a slick and slimy mess to contend with.  That will start drying
off today.  It hasn't been too cold, so the hay supply should hold out
into May.


2012

Well wishes to all for a great new year -- hopefully with adequate
precipitation.   We'll be in touch again sometime in January.


Sincerely,

Nolan Doesken
Colorado State University

Timely information!
Thanks for submitting your CoCoRaHS report. One of the regular users of CoCoRaHS
rain, hail and snow data is the National Weather Service (NWS). Regardless of
when you submit your reports, the information you transmit is useful and
appreciated. However, if you would like your data used in daily weather and
river forecasts, then please submit your daily precipitation report by 9 AM each
day. Submit hail and intense precipitation reports as soon as possible during or
after storms to aid forecasters in issuing severe weather statements.

Help your CoCoRaHS by Donating Today.

Go to https://advancing.colostate.edu/csu.asp?COE/COCORAHS/GIVE

And Donate on Line
When filling out the Donation form be sure to Donate on Behalf of your county.

Also Double increase your contribution by looking up your employer to see if
they have a matching contribution program.
http://www.matchinggifts.com/colostate/

Washington State CoCoRaHS wishes to extend our thanks to all the sponsors that
have generously helped the CoCoRaHS Program

Washington State Sponsors

The National Weather Service,
The Office of the Washington State Climatologist
&
The Washington State Department of Ecology.

National Sponsors

     *  CIRA - CSU Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere1997,
1999-2001, 2004-present
     * The Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station at Colorado State University
1998-present
     * Colorado State University—Department of Atmospheric Science 1998-present
     * Colorado State University CHILL Radar Laboratory 1998-present
     * Mountain States Weather Services 1998-present
     * City of Fort Collins Utilities—Water and Storm Water 1998-present
     * National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 2006-present
     * National Science Foundation 1999-2006
     * National Weather Service 1999-present
     * Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District 1999-present
     * City of Loveland Water and Power 1999-present
     * University of Northern Colorado, Earth Sciences Department 1999-present
     * Urban Drainage and Flood Control District 2001-present
     * Denver Cooperative Extension Office 2002-present
     * Denver Water 2002-2003, 2005-present
     * Southeast Colorado Resource, Conservation and Development 2003-present
     * East Central Colorado Resource, Conservation and Development 2003-present
     * City of Golden 2004-present
     * DayWeather, Inc. 2004 -present
     * Wyoming Farm Service Agency, 2005-present
     * U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management  2005-present
     * City of Aurora  2006-present
     * Texas Floodplain Managment Association  2007-present
     * Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority  2007-present
     * Lower Colorado River Authority 2007-present
     * Wallingford Software 2008-present
     * San Antonio River Authority 2008-present
     * PRISM 2008

To Learn More about our sponsors, Please Feel Free to visit the CoCoRaHS Sponsor
Page at http://www.cocorahs.org/Content.aspx?page=sponsors

To all our CoCoRaHS Volunteer Observers.

You are truly the heart and soul of the CoCoRaHS Organization. If it were not
for you the Volunteer Observer, your hard work and effort, braving the cold, wet
and sometimes windy, nasty weather that you have to endure to get your daily
reports in, in a timely manner, this program would not be a success.

  So, from All the Coordinators here at CoCoRaHS,
The forecasters at the National Weather Service,
the Office of Climatology and everyone else that uses your reports


THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU

Saturday morning greetings

Good morning.  It is cool and dry today in Northern Colorado two days
after the remarkable January heatwave where temperatures climbed into
the 60s and even a few 70s all the way up into Montana and the Dakotas
Thursday.  Things are changing now as a storm takes shape over New
Mexico (again!).  Rains are developing this morning over many areas of
the South.  If you live in that part of the country you'll have
something to measure soon.  Also, there has been some cold air over
Alaska the past two weeks and that may be slipping down towards the
lower 48 sometime next week.  We've gotten off easy so far (in most
areas) but there are several weeks of deep winter that we still need to
navigate.

Scant Precipitation

Did you notice how little precipitation there has been to start the new
year?  Based on nationwide CoCoRaHS data, the average national
precipitation for the first week of January was a mere 0.10".  This same
week last year the national average was 0.57"  The frequency and
quantity of snowfall has also been really low this year over nearly all
of the country.

Alaska as well as New Mexico have been noticeable exceptions.  Snows
continue to pile up "up north".  We have about 20 loyal Alaska CoCoRaHS
volunteers hard at work measuring in the cold and dark. Since December
our Edna Bay observer has measured 18.53" of precipitation (mostly cold
rain) and our Anchorage 11.9 SSE observer is up to 78" of snowfall for
the past 5 weeks.  Our Hawaiian observers have been more comfortable but
their gauges have also been busy.  We are up to 16 active observers in
Hawaii and they are helping to prove what we've been taught about HI
precipitation -- it varies like crazy from place to place.  Totals since
December 1 range from less than 1" at Ewa Beach  (island of Honolulu) to
over 43" near Ookala on the big island of Hawaii.  If we had more
volunteers, I'm sure we'd see even more variations.

Thanks to the efforts of so many of you, the marvels of our climate
continue to reveal themselves.


Speaking of thanks

Additional thanks to so many of you for your generous showing of support
for CoCoRaHS.  Just over $30,000 in donations have been received during
our "Five for CoCoRaHS" campaign.  This helps the project very much.  We
still have a shot at reaching the goal of $38,000 by midnight January
10th.  $5 donations don't seem like much, but with such a great group as
ours, they really add up.

http://www.cocorahs.org/Content.aspx?page=2011yearend

For those who prefer not to use the online system, instructions are
shown there on where and how to send checks by mail.  Again, THANKS!!


A few reminders and suggestions

1)  Measuring snow

Many of you have now gone through the CoCoRaHS snow measurement training
materials.  The YouTube Training resources are great

http://www.youtube.com/cocorahs/

but this may not be a good option if you don't have high speed internet.
Then I suggest you review the e-mail I sent on December 8th with the
subject line  "CoCoRaHS -- How to measure snow"


2)  Do we need to report if it hasn't rained or snowed?

This is just a reminder of how valuable "zero" reports really are.  You
are volunteers and you alone know if you do or do not have the time and
inclination to report on dry days, but I assure you the data are
important.  So if you have time, please submit your zeros.

BTW  -- Yesterday (January 6) was one of the driest days in recent
CoCoRaHS history.  There were only about 500 of us with any water in our
gauge yesterday (close to 6000 of us reported 0.00"!!) and the heaviest
precipitation amount was 0.52 (Eagle River, Alaska).  The 0.40" near
Brownsville, TX was the greatest mainland U.S. amount -- and that isn't
very much.


3)  Significant Weather Reports

Regardless of time of year, please remember to use this CoCoRaHS data
entry feature any time you experience weather conditions that you think
your local weather forecasters should know about.  Heavy snow, heavy
rain, flooding, particularly poor visibility (fog, blowing snow, etc),
extreme winds, etc are all worth reporting.  It is easy to assume that
the weather forecasters in your area already know what's going on, but
local reports confirming adverse or changing weather conditions are
worth tons.  So please use this CoCORaHS report option to report
significant weather -- any hour of the day.  You'll find this entry
report option under "My Data" and then in the menu on the left under
"enter My New Reports".  This menu only appears when you are logged into
CoCoRaHS and not when you view the website as a non observer.


4) What about Freezing Rain (Glaze)?

There hasn't been much yet this winter across the country, but there
probably will be soon.  It turns out there is very, very little
quantitative data collected about freezing rain. That's where we fit in.
   If you observe freezing rain at your location, please report it in
your daily report in the "Observation Notes" block.  Try to estimate the
radial thickness (not the diameter) of ice accumulating on fence wires,
branches, etc.  This is extremely valuable information used by
forecasters, structural engineers, foresters, transportation officials
and many more.  We do have a training slide called "Ice Accretion" that
may help.

http://www.cocorahs.org/Content.aspx?page=training_slideshows


5) Drought Impact Reports

Yes, even in winter, drought impacts can be subtly or visibly apparent.
The extensive dry grasses of the Northern Plains (and grass fires
earlier this week) are a good example. While we may know how much rain
and snow have fallen from our rain gauge reports, that may or may not
visibly equate to impacts.  So if you are detecting local impacts from
abnormal weather conditions for your area (a drought in Phoenix looks
much different than a drought in Atlanta or in Boston) please let us
know using the "Drought Impact Report" data entry option.  Here is some
more information to help you know when and what to report.

http://www.cocorahs.org/Content.aspx?page=droughtimpactreports

Note:  This past year, with extreme drought over several southern
states, it was fascinating to watch how the drier it got, the fewer
drought impact reports were sent in.  Maybe people just got sick of it.


6)  Upcoming CoCoRaHS webinars.

Our staff are getting more experienced leading "webinars".  A few
hundred of you attended our recent snow measurement webinars.  We'll
probably do one more later this winter.  Now we are beginning our
"WxTalk" webinar series offering one-hour classes on various weather and
climate topics.

http://www.cocorahs.org/Content.aspx?page=wxtalk

We'll generally have about one a month and cover a wide range of topics
from clouds to lightening, tornadoes and hurricanes.  Since we have
quite a few young and budding "future meteorologists" in our ranks,
we're also planning to do one on "how to become a meteorologist".

The schedule for 2012 is just starting to take shape.  Check back every
few weeks.  We will increase webinar registration from a maximum of 100
participants to 500 later this spring to accommodate many more attendees.


7)  Water 2012

This is a Colorado celebration but you're all welcome to join in no
matter where you live as we celebrate the importance of water throughout
the coming year.  Our Governor will make the proclamation at the
upcoming 2012 Water Congress in Denver later this month.  We'll be
encouraging every school in Colorado to get involved as we all realize
that "the weather is our water supply" and our gauges tell us how much
we've got.

Here's a link to see what is and will be happening as this year-long
celebration unfolds.  http://www.water2012.org/


And finally, the farm

Chinook winds last weekend removed our remaining snowcover and broke off
a few more branches.  I'll need to get the chain saw out one more time
to finish cleaning up.  The chickens are now laying a few eggs each day
(had a delicious quiche for breakfast this AM).  The horses are fairly
happy -- although they went bonkers during the windstorm last Saturday.
   The geese are starting to get revved up for their egg-laying season
which starts in a few weeks.  For the most part, things are peaceful
here but we still see a fox now and then peaking out of the irrigation
ditch waiting for an "adventure chicken" to escape.  I think all the
"adventure chickens" have already become dinner.


In conclusion

You may not hear from me for a few weeks as the new year gets really
busy.  But if you happen to be in New Orleans on Sunday, January 22,
CoCoRaHS will be a part of the "American Meteorological Society" annual
meeting and annual public "WeatherFest".  We'll have a CoCoRaHS display
there and a rain gauge competition for kids and adults from noon to 4
PM.  Please come by and say "Hi"

Then on Wednesday, January 25th we'll be at the Colorado Farm Show in
Greeley.

The following week we will be sharing "CoCoRaHS" with the National
Association of Conservation Districts  -- an organization that
inherently cares about precipitation and whose members cover the entire
country.  If you're a member of the NACD, hope to see you there.

Sincerely hoping for a good weather year,

Nolan Doesken
Colorado State University

The National Weather Service has opened up a TOLL FREE Hotline for reporting
Severe Weather. This Hotline is for the Public as well as Trained SKYWARN
Spotters.

YOU MUST READ THE ENTIRE POST PRIOR TO REPORTING.
The number is posted at the bottom of this notice.

The National Weather Service encourages everyone to report severe weather.

HOW TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER USING THIS SYSTEM

in order to use this system you must know your,

1: Latitude Longitude by Degrees and Minutes

2: Or Zip Code

If either of these two items are not available then you must leave a very
detailed voice message at the end as to your location

What State are you in,
What County are you in,
What City are you in or closest to,
What is the nearest cross street, highway or interstate,
What mile post,
What is a well known Landmark,
What direction is the storm or event from your location
Is it still occurring,
what direction is it moving I.E. North, South, East, or West.

Be as detailed, in your report and location as possible IDENTIFY YOUR SELF WITH
YOUR NAME PHONE NUMBER, ADDRESS AND CoCoRaHS Station Number
When Prompted to leave a Voice Message.

When Prompted to leave a Voice Message, Remain Calm. Make sure you are in a safe
location. The NWS would much rather not
receive a report if it puts your safety in jeopardy.
YOUR SAFETY COMES FIRST!!!

Be as descriptive as possible, include thickness of tree limbs, rainfall
amounts and any damage or weather occurrence you feel is important to report.

SEVERE WEATHER REPORTING GUIDE LINES FOR WASHINGTON STATE

WESTERN WASHINGTON REGION

1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debris being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado

TORNADO, WATERSPOUT, FUNNEL CLOUD, WALL CLOUD -

Location, time, and direction of movement. Is it still visible? Watch for
rotation in the cloud(s). Any damage?

HAIL - Pea-sized or larger. Any damage?

LIGHTNING - Frequent (4 or more per minute) cloud-to-ground lightning inforested
areas.

DAMAGING WINDS - Trees/power lines knocked down, damage to homes, etc. If you
have an anemometer, report any sustained winds over 35 MPH or gusts over 50 mph.
You Can also use the Beaufort Scale for an estimate. Note: sustained winds are a
one
minute average.

HEAVY RAIN - One-half (0.50) inch in one hour. Two inches or more in 24 hours or
less. Has it ended?

FLOODING - OF ANY KIND! Are waters rising or falling? Any damage, mud or rock
slides, and/or roads blocked?

SNOW - One inch accumulation or more in three hours. 4 inches in 12 hours or
less.

FREEZING PRECIPITATION - Any accumulation of sleet or freezing rain / drizzle.

POOR VISIBILITY - Reduced visibility adversely impacting transportation. Less
than one-half miles for DENSE FOG and BLOWING SNOW.
BLOWING DUST and VOLCANIC ASH. Less than 300 feet

SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON REGION

1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debries being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado

Wind: 50 mph or stronger
Hail: 3/4 inch (penny or dime size) or larger in diameter
Flooding: Any significant amount of water in normally dry areas
River Flooding: Any river rising above their normal bank level
Heavy Rain: Rain rates of 1 inch per hour or greater
And - Rain greater than 1 inch in 24 hours
Heavy Snow: Call while snowing at a rate of 1 inch per hour or greater
And - Call with total snow fall if >= 1 inch when the snow ends
Low Visibilities: Visibility less than 1/2 mile due to fog, dust, rain, or snow
Freezing Rain: Any freezing rain

EASTERN WASHINGTON REGION

FUNNEL CLOUD OR TORNADO
1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debries being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado

HAIL
Pea-sized or larger

STRONG WINDS
30 mph+ or winds that produce any damage. Estimate using Beaufort chart.

HEAVY RAINFALL
0.50 inch in one hour - showery
1 inch in 12 hrs or 1.5 inches in 24 hrs – steady rain

FLOODING
Of any kind...including possible dam or levee failure. Watch for changing water
levels.

SNOW
2 inches or more – valleys
6 inches or more - mountains

MIXED PRECIPITATION
Any freezing rain or sleet

POOR VISIBILITY
One half mile or less in blowing dust or snow etc.

TRAVEL PROBLEMS DUE TO WEATHER
Conditions where poor or hazardous travel conditions observed or reported

ANY DAMAGE, INJURY OR LOSS OF LIFE DUE TO WEATHER
Be sure to include location, time and specific cause

SOUTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON REGION

1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debries being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado
Location, time and direction of movement.

Hail: Pea size or larger.

Lightning: Continuous lightning (more than 6 flashes per minute).

Heavy Rain: Half an inch or more per hour. Report heavy rain even if you are
outside a flood prone area.

Heavy Snow: Accumulations of four inches in 12 hours or one inch per hour.

Flooding: Of ANY kind, including dam or levee failure. Are waters rising or
falling?

Damaging Wind: Trees or power lines knocked down, damage to buildings, etc.
Report any wind of at least 40 mph using the Beaufort Scale.

Fog, Blowing Dust, Blowing Snow: Report initial onslaught of event when poor
visibility impacts travel.

Freezing Rain: Report initial onslaught of event when it impacts travel.
Mudslides: Any event causing damage or road closure.

NATIONAL SEVERE WEATHER REPORTING HOT LINE 877-633-6772

The National Weather Service has opened up a TOLL FREE Hotline for reporting
Severe Weather. This Hotline is for the Public as well as Trained SKYWARN
Spotters.

YOU MUST READ THE ENTIRE POST PRIOR TO REPORTING.
The number is posted at the bottom of this notice.

The National Weather Service encourages everyone to report severe weather.

HOW TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER USING THIS SYSTEM

in order to use this system you must know your,

1: Latitude Longitude by Degrees and Minutes

2: Or Zip Code

If either of these two items are not available then you must leave a very
detailed voice message at the end as to your location

What State are you in,
What County are you in,
What City are you in or closest to,
What is the nearest cross street, highway or interstate,
What mile post,
What is a well known Landmark,
What direction is the storm or event from your location
Is it still occurring,
what direction is it moving I.E. North, South, East, or West.

Be as detailed, in your report and location as possible IDENTIFY YOUR SELF WITH
YOUR NAME PHONE NUMBER, ADDRESS AND CoCoRaHS Station Number
When Prompted to leave a Voice Message.

When Prompted to leave a Voice Message, Remain Calm. Make sure you are in a safe
location. The NWS would much rather not
receive a report if it puts your safety in jeopardy.
YOUR SAFETY COMES FIRST!!!

Be as descriptive as possible, include thickness of tree limbs, rainfall
amounts and any damage or weather occurrence you feel is important to report.

SEVERE WEATHER REPORTING GUIDE LINES FOR WASHINGTON STATE

WESTERN WASHINGTON REGION

1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debris being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado

TORNADO, WATERSPOUT, FUNNEL CLOUD, WALL CLOUD -

Location, time, and direction of movement. Is it still visible? Watch for
rotation in the cloud(s). Any damage?

HAIL - Pea-sized or larger. Any damage?

LIGHTNING - Frequent (4 or more per minute) cloud-to-ground lightning inforested
areas.

DAMAGING WINDS - Trees/power lines knocked down, damage to homes, etc. If you
have an anemometer, report any sustained winds over 35 MPH or gusts over 50 mph.
You Can also use the Beaufort Scale for an estimate. Note: sustained winds are a
one
minute average.

HEAVY RAIN - One-half (0.50) inch in one hour. Two inches or more in 24 hours or
less. Has it ended?

FLOODING - OF ANY KIND! Are waters rising or falling? Any damage, mud or rock
slides, and/or roads blocked?

SNOW - One inch accumulation or more in three hours. 4 inches in 12 hours or
less.

FREEZING PRECIPITATION - Any accumulation of sleet or freezing rain / drizzle.

POOR VISIBILITY - Reduced visibility adversely impacting transportation. Less
than one-half miles for DENSE FOG and BLOWING SNOW.
BLOWING DUST and VOLCANIC ASH. Less than 300 feet

SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON REGION

1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debries being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado

Wind: 50 mph or stronger
Hail: 3/4 inch (penny or dime size) or larger in diameter
Flooding: Any significant amount of water in normally dry areas
River Flooding: Any river rising above their normal bank level
Heavy Rain: Rain rates of 1 inch per hour or greater
And - Rain greater than 1 inch in 24 hours
Heavy Snow: Call while snowing at a rate of 1 inch per hour or greater
And - Call with total snow fall if >= 1 inch when the snow ends
Low Visibilities: Visibility less than 1/2 mile due to fog, dust, rain, or snow
Freezing Rain: Any freezing rain

EASTERN WASHINGTON REGION

FUNNEL CLOUD OR TORNADO
1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debries being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado

HAIL
Pea-sized or larger

STRONG WINDS
30 mph+ or winds that produce any damage. Estimate using Beaufort chart.

HEAVY RAINFALL
0.50 inch in one hour - showery
1 inch in 12 hrs or 1.5 inches in 24 hrs – steady rain

FLOODING
Of any kind...including possible dam or levee failure. Watch for changing water
levels.

SNOW
2 inches or more – valleys
6 inches or more - mountains

MIXED PRECIPITATION
Any freezing rain or sleet

POOR VISIBILITY
One half mile or less in blowing dust or snow etc.

TRAVEL PROBLEMS DUE TO WEATHER
Conditions where poor or hazardous travel conditions observed or reported

ANY DAMAGE, INJURY OR LOSS OF LIFE DUE TO WEATHER
Be sure to include location, time and specific cause

SOUTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON REGION

1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debries being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado
Location, time and direction of movement.

Hail: Pea size or larger.

Lightning: Continuous lightning (more than 6 flashes per minute).

Heavy Rain: Half an inch or more per hour. Report heavy rain even if you are
outside a flood prone area.

Heavy Snow: Accumulations of four inches in 12 hours or one inch per hour.

Flooding: Of ANY kind, including dam or levee failure. Are waters rising or
falling?

Damaging Wind: Trees or power lines knocked down, damage to buildings, etc.
Report any wind of at least 40 mph using the Beaufort Scale.

Fog, Blowing Dust, Blowing Snow: Report initial onslaught of event when poor
visibility impacts travel.

Freezing Rain: Report initial onslaught of event when it impacts travel.
Mudslides: Any event causing damage or road closure.

NATIONAL SEVERE WEATHER REPORTING HOT LINE 877-633-6772

The National Weather Service has opened up a TOLL FREE Hotline for reporting
Severe Weather. This Hotline is for the Public as well as Trained SKYWARN
Spotters.

YOU MUST READ THE ENTIRE POST PRIOR TO REPORTING.
The number is posted at the bottom of this notice.

The National Weather Service encourages everyone to report severe weather.

HOW TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER USING THIS SYSTEM

in order to use this system you must know your,

1: Latitude Longitude by Degrees and Minutes

2: Or Zip Code

If either of these two items are not available then you must leave a very
detailed voice message at the end as to your location

What State are you in,
What County are you in,
What City are you in or closest to,
What is the nearest cross street, highway or interstate,
What mile post,
What is a well known Landmark,
What direction is the storm or event from your location
Is it still occurring,
what direction is it moving I.E. North, South, East, or West.

Be as detailed, in your report and location as possible IDENTIFY YOUR SELF WITH
YOUR NAME PHONE NUMBER, ADDRESS AND CoCoRaHS Station Number
When Prompted to leave a Voice Message.

When Prompted to leave a Voice Message, Remain Calm. Make sure you are in a safe
location. The NWS would much rather not
receive a report if it puts your safety in jeopardy.
YOUR SAFETY COMES FIRST!!!

Be as descriptive as possible, include thickness of tree limbs, rainfall
amounts and any damage or weather occurrence you feel is important to report.

SEVERE WEATHER REPORTING GUIDE LINES FOR WASHINGTON STATE

WESTERN WASHINGTON REGION

1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debris being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado

TORNADO, WATERSPOUT, FUNNEL CLOUD, WALL CLOUD -

Location, time, and direction of movement. Is it still visible? Watch for
rotation in the cloud(s). Any damage?

HAIL - Pea-sized or larger. Any damage?

LIGHTNING - Frequent (4 or more per minute) cloud-to-ground lightning inforested
areas.

DAMAGING WINDS - Trees/power lines knocked down, damage to homes, etc. If you
have an anemometer, report any sustained winds over 35 MPH or gusts over 50 mph.
You Can also use the Beaufort Scale for an estimate. Note: sustained winds are a
one
minute average.

HEAVY RAIN - One-half (0.50) inch in one hour. Two inches or more in 24 hours or
less. Has it ended?

FLOODING - OF ANY KIND! Are waters rising or falling? Any damage, mud or rock
slides, and/or roads blocked?

SNOW - One inch accumulation or more in three hours. 4 inches in 12 hours or
less.

FREEZING PRECIPITATION - Any accumulation of sleet or freezing rain / drizzle.

POOR VISIBILITY - Reduced visibility adversely impacting transportation. Less
than one-half miles for DENSE FOG and BLOWING SNOW.
BLOWING DUST and VOLCANIC ASH. Less than 300 feet

SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON REGION

1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debries being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado

Wind: 50 mph or stronger
Hail: 3/4 inch (penny or dime size) or larger in diameter
Flooding: Any significant amount of water in normally dry areas
River Flooding: Any river rising above their normal bank level
Heavy Rain: Rain rates of 1 inch per hour or greater
And - Rain greater than 1 inch in 24 hours
Heavy Snow: Call while snowing at a rate of 1 inch per hour or greater
And - Call with total snow fall if >= 1 inch when the snow ends
Low Visibilities: Visibility less than 1/2 mile due to fog, dust, rain, or snow
Freezing Rain: Any freezing rain

EASTERN WASHINGTON REGION

FUNNEL CLOUD OR TORNADO
1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debries being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado

HAIL
Pea-sized or larger

STRONG WINDS
30 mph+ or winds that produce any damage. Estimate using Beaufort chart.

HEAVY RAINFALL
0.50 inch in one hour - showery
1 inch in 12 hrs or 1.5 inches in 24 hrs – steady rain

FLOODING
Of any kind...including possible dam or levee failure. Watch for changing water
levels.

SNOW
2 inches or more – valleys
6 inches or more - mountains

MIXED PRECIPITATION
Any freezing rain or sleet

POOR VISIBILITY
One half mile or less in blowing dust or snow etc.

TRAVEL PROBLEMS DUE TO WEATHER
Conditions where poor or hazardous travel conditions observed or reported

ANY DAMAGE, INJURY OR LOSS OF LIFE DUE TO WEATHER
Be sure to include location, time and specific cause

SOUTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON REGION

1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debries being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado
Location, time and direction of movement.

Hail: Pea size or larger.

Lightning: Continuous lightning (more than 6 flashes per minute).

Heavy Rain: Half an inch or more per hour. Report heavy rain even if you are
outside a flood prone area.

Heavy Snow: Accumulations of four inches in 12 hours or one inch per hour.

Flooding: Of ANY kind, including dam or levee failure. Are waters rising or
falling?

Damaging Wind: Trees or power lines knocked down, damage to buildings, etc.
Report any wind of at least 40 mph using the Beaufort Scale.

Fog, Blowing Dust, Blowing Snow: Report initial onslaught of event when poor
visibility impacts travel.

Freezing Rain: Report initial onslaught of event when it impacts travel.
Mudslides: Any event causing damage or road closure.

NATIONAL SEVERE WEATHER REPORTING HOT LINE 877-633-6772

The National Weather Service has opened up a TOLL FREE Hotline for reporting
Severe Weather. This Hotline is for the Public as well as Trained SKYWARN
Spotters.

YOU MUST READ THE ENTIRE POST PRIOR TO REPORTING.
The number is posted at the bottom of this notice.

The National Weather Service encourages everyone to report severe weather.

HOW TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER USING THIS SYSTEM

in order to use this system you must know your,

1: Latitude Longitude by Degrees and Minutes

2: Or Zip Code

If either of these two items are not available then you must leave a very
detailed voice message at the end as to your location

What State are you in,
What County are you in,
What City are you in or closest to,
What is the nearest cross street, highway or interstate,
What mile post,
What is a well known Landmark,
What direction is the storm or event from your location
Is it still occurring,
what direction is it moving I.E. North, South, East, or West.

Be as detailed, in your report and location as possible IDENTIFY YOUR SELF WITH
YOUR NAME PHONE NUMBER, ADDRESS AND CoCoRaHS Station Number
When Prompted to leave a Voice Message.

When Prompted to leave a Voice Message, Remain Calm. Make sure you are in a safe
location. The NWS would much rather not
receive a report if it puts your safety in jeopardy.
YOUR SAFETY COMES FIRST!!!

Be as descriptive as possible, include thickness of tree limbs, rainfall
amounts and any damage or weather occurrence you feel is important to report.

SEVERE WEATHER REPORTING GUIDE LINES FOR WASHINGTON STATE

WESTERN WASHINGTON REGION

1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debris being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado

TORNADO, WATERSPOUT, FUNNEL CLOUD, WALL CLOUD -

Location, time, and direction of movement. Is it still visible? Watch for
rotation in the cloud(s). Any damage?

HAIL - Pea-sized or larger. Any damage?

LIGHTNING - Frequent (4 or more per minute) cloud-to-ground lightning inforested
areas.

DAMAGING WINDS - Trees/power lines knocked down, damage to homes, etc. If you
have an anemometer, report any sustained winds over 35 MPH or gusts over 50 mph.
You Can also use the Beaufort Scale for an estimate. Note: sustained winds are a
one
minute average.

HEAVY RAIN - One-half (0.50) inch in one hour. Two inches or more in 24 hours or
less. Has it ended?

FLOODING - OF ANY KIND! Are waters rising or falling? Any damage, mud or rock
slides, and/or roads blocked?

SNOW - One inch accumulation or more in three hours. 4 inches in 12 hours or
less.

FREEZING PRECIPITATION - Any accumulation of sleet or freezing rain / drizzle.

POOR VISIBILITY - Reduced visibility adversely impacting transportation. Less
than one-half miles for DENSE FOG and BLOWING SNOW.
BLOWING DUST and VOLCANIC ASH. Less than 300 feet

SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON REGION

1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debries being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado

Wind: 50 mph or stronger
Hail: 3/4 inch (penny or dime size) or larger in diameter
Flooding: Any significant amount of water in normally dry areas
River Flooding: Any river rising above their normal bank level
Heavy Rain: Rain rates of 1 inch per hour or greater
And - Rain greater than 1 inch in 24 hours
Heavy Snow: Call while snowing at a rate of 1 inch per hour or greater
And - Call with total snow fall if >= 1 inch when the snow ends
Low Visibilities: Visibility less than 1/2 mile due to fog, dust, rain, or snow
Freezing Rain: Any freezing rain

EASTERN WASHINGTON REGION

FUNNEL CLOUD OR TORNADO
1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debries being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado

HAIL
Pea-sized or larger

STRONG WINDS
30 mph+ or winds that produce any damage. Estimate using Beaufort chart.

HEAVY RAINFALL
0.50 inch in one hour - showery
1 inch in 12 hrs or 1.5 inches in 24 hrs – steady rain

FLOODING
Of any kind...including possible dam or levee failure. Watch for changing water
levels.

SNOW
2 inches or more – valleys
6 inches or more - mountains

MIXED PRECIPITATION
Any freezing rain or sleet

POOR VISIBILITY
One half mile or less in blowing dust or snow etc.

TRAVEL PROBLEMS DUE TO WEATHER
Conditions where poor or hazardous travel conditions observed or reported

ANY DAMAGE, INJURY OR LOSS OF LIFE DUE TO WEATHER
Be sure to include location, time and specific cause

SOUTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON REGION

1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debries being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado
Location, time and direction of movement.

Hail: Pea size or larger.

Lightning: Continuous lightning (more than 6 flashes per minute).

Heavy Rain: Half an inch or more per hour. Report heavy rain even if you are
outside a flood prone area.

Heavy Snow: Accumulations of four inches in 12 hours or one inch per hour.

Flooding: Of ANY kind, including dam or levee failure. Are waters rising or
falling?

Damaging Wind: Trees or power lines knocked down, damage to buildings, etc.
Report any wind of at least 40 mph using the Beaufort Scale.

Fog, Blowing Dust, Blowing Snow: Report initial onslaught of event when poor
visibility impacts travel.

Freezing Rain: Report initial onslaught of event when it impacts travel.
Mudslides: Any event causing damage or road closure.

NATIONAL SEVERE WEATHER REPORTING HOT LINE 877-633-6772

The National Weather Service has opened up a TOLL FREE Hotline for reporting
Severe Weather. This Hotline is for the Public as well as Trained SKYWARN
Spotters.

YOU MUST READ THE ENTIRE POST PRIOR TO REPORTING.
The number is posted at the bottom of this notice.

The National Weather Service encourages everyone to report severe weather.

HOW TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER USING THIS SYSTEM

in order to use this system you must know your,

1: Latitude Longitude by Degrees and Minutes

2: Or Zip Code

If either of these two items are not available then you must leave a very
detailed voice message at the end as to your location

What State are you in,
What County are you in,
What City are you in or closest to,
What is the nearest cross street, highway or interstate,
What mile post,
What is a well known Landmark,
What direction is the storm or event from your location
Is it still occurring,
what direction is it moving I.E. North, South, East, or West.

Be as detailed, in your report and location as possible IDENTIFY YOUR SELF WITH
YOUR NAME PHONE NUMBER, ADDRESS AND CoCoRaHS Station Number
When Prompted to leave a Voice Message.

When Prompted to leave a Voice Message, Remain Calm. Make sure you are in a safe
location. The NWS would much rather not
receive a report if it puts your safety in jeopardy.
YOUR SAFETY COMES FIRST!!!

Be as descriptive as possible, include thickness of tree limbs, rainfall
amounts and any damage or weather occurrence you feel is important to report.

SEVERE WEATHER REPORTING GUIDE LINES FOR WASHINGTON STATE

WESTERN WASHINGTON REGION

1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debris being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado

TORNADO, WATERSPOUT, FUNNEL CLOUD, WALL CLOUD -

Location, time, and direction of movement. Is it still visible? Watch for
rotation in the cloud(s). Any damage?

HAIL - Pea-sized or larger. Any damage?

LIGHTNING - Frequent (4 or more per minute) cloud-to-ground lightning inforested
areas.

DAMAGING WINDS - Trees/power lines knocked down, damage to homes, etc. If you
have an anemometer, report any sustained winds over 35 MPH or gusts over 50 mph.
You Can also use the Beaufort Scale for an estimate. Note: sustained winds are a
one
minute average.

HEAVY RAIN - One-half (0.50) inch in one hour. Two inches or more in 24 hours or
less. Has it ended?

FLOODING - OF ANY KIND! Are waters rising or falling? Any damage, mud or rock
slides, and/or roads blocked?

SNOW - One inch accumulation or more in three hours. 4 inches in 12 hours or
less.

FREEZING PRECIPITATION - Any accumulation of sleet or freezing rain / drizzle.

POOR VISIBILITY - Reduced visibility adversely impacting transportation. Less
than one-half miles for DENSE FOG and BLOWING SNOW.
BLOWING DUST and VOLCANIC ASH. Less than 300 feet

SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON REGION

1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debries being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado

Wind: 50 mph or stronger
Hail: 3/4 inch (penny or dime size) or larger in diameter
Flooding: Any significant amount of water in normally dry areas
River Flooding: Any river rising above their normal bank level
Heavy Rain: Rain rates of 1 inch per hour or greater
And - Rain greater than 1 inch in 24 hours
Heavy Snow: Call while snowing at a rate of 1 inch per hour or greater
And - Call with total snow fall if >= 1 inch when the snow ends
Low Visibilities: Visibility less than 1/2 mile due to fog, dust, rain, or snow
Freezing Rain: Any freezing rain

EASTERN WASHINGTON REGION

FUNNEL CLOUD OR TORNADO
1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debries being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado

HAIL
Pea-sized or larger

STRONG WINDS
30 mph+ or winds that produce any damage. Estimate using Beaufort chart.

HEAVY RAINFALL
0.50 inch in one hour - showery
1 inch in 12 hrs or 1.5 inches in 24 hrs – steady rain

FLOODING
Of any kind...including possible dam or levee failure. Watch for changing water
levels.

SNOW
2 inches or more – valleys
6 inches or more - mountains

MIXED PRECIPITATION
Any freezing rain or sleet

POOR VISIBILITY
One half mile or less in blowing dust or snow etc.

TRAVEL PROBLEMS DUE TO WEATHER
Conditions where poor or hazardous travel conditions observed or reported

ANY DAMAGE, INJURY OR LOSS OF LIFE DUE TO WEATHER
Be sure to include location, time and specific cause

SOUTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON REGION

1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debries being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado
Location, time and direction of movement.

Hail: Pea size or larger.

Lightning: Continuous lightning (more than 6 flashes per minute).

Heavy Rain: Half an inch or more per hour. Report heavy rain even if you are
outside a flood prone area.

Heavy Snow: Accumulations of four inches in 12 hours or one inch per hour.

Flooding: Of ANY kind, including dam or levee failure. Are waters rising or
falling?

Damaging Wind: Trees or power lines knocked down, damage to buildings, etc.
Report any wind of at least 40 mph using the Beaufort Scale.

Fog, Blowing Dust, Blowing Snow: Report initial onslaught of event when poor
visibility impacts travel.

Freezing Rain: Report initial onslaught of event when it impacts travel.
Mudslides: Any event causing damage or road closure.

NATIONAL SEVERE WEATHER REPORTING HOT LINE 877-633-6772

Greetings CoCoRaHsters (that went over well last time so I'll try it again).

It's March 10th already and winter isn't trying very hard.  (although it
is snowing today -- again -- in New Mexico).  Our 7-day forecast here
calls for sun and warmth (70s already) -- toasty for mid March in
northern Colorado.    It has been a remarkably easy winter for most of
the lower 48 and quite a riotous winter for Alaska.  If you're still
planning a spring ski trip to the Rockies, don't worry.  There is plenty
of snow -- but much, much less than this time last year for most areas.
   Climate can be like that.

Day length

We are fast approaching the spring equinox and day length is
accelerating at the fastest pace of the year.  These changes are most
obvious in Alaska where the difference is several minutes each day.  At
last, we're almost all reading our rain gauges in the daylight now  --
much easier than those dark days of early winter.


A big welcome

Since I lost wrote a few weeks ago, several hundred new volunteers have
signed up with Texas and Tennessee making a particularly strong showing.
   A big welcome to all of you who are new to CoCoRaHS.  If you have any
questions or need help getting started, please let us know.  For quick
response, e-mail Zach at our "Help Desk"  at     info@...    As
you'll soon discover, each and every rain gauge report from anywhere in
the country really helps paint a better picture of precipitation
patterns and impacts across the country (drought, flood, and everything
in between.


A Call to Action

With the coming of spring comes some of our most changeable and dramatic
weather of the year.  The old weather adage goes  "As the days grow
longer, the storms grow stronger" -- and there is some truth to that.
We really, really, really covet your participation to help do our best
job ever in documenting U.S. precipitation.

This is the time of year to check your gauge.  Make sure there are no
cracks or other problems.  Make sure you know your login information.
An if you've taken a few months off to avoid the cold and ice of winter,
this is a great time to get started again.  If you find that our
computer system has deactivated your station (we do that automatically
if you haven't reported for the past year or so) then just drop a note
to Zach at "info@..." and ask to be reactivated.

Even if you notice other people in your communities already
participating in CoCoRaHS, we need you too.  Our goal is to have at
least one volunteer per square mile in well populated areas and one
station per 36 square miles in most rural areas.  You will be amazed at
the detail and variations that we can monitor and map as we approach
this ambitious but appropriate goal.  And for spring and summer hail,
even more volunteer reports are needed as hail varies so, so much.

The next few months promise an amazing display of meteorological variety
and extremes. If you haven't gotten started in CoCoRaHS yet -- or if
you've dropped off but are thinking of starting up again -- then please
do.  We could double our number of reports each day just from those of
us who have already signed up.

Thanks very much!


And then comes March Madness

Yes, that is our annual friendly interstate competition to see which
state can sign up the most new volunteers and (to aid the smaller
states) the most volunteers per capita.  If just 10% of us succeeded in
finding one new family or individual (or school) to sign up between now
and the end of March, we could add 2,500 new volunteers.  Give it a try.
   We've had more "word of mouth" recruits this year than ever before and
I think we're just seeing the tip of the iceberg.

To track the results of the competition

http://cocorahs.org/Content.aspx?page=marchmadness


Webinars -- gaining popularity

We had our best attendance yet this week for Tom Schlatter's webinar on
clouds.  Close to 250 people participated enjoying great cloud photos,
explanations. interactive quizes and, for the first time in CoCoRaHS
history live music.  Tom made his CoCoRaHS singing debut melodically
singing Joni Mitchell's (and made famous by Judy Collins) "Both Sides
Now".  Awesome!!

Remember, all of our webinars are archived and you can view them at any
time.  Our general CoCoRaHS videos (introduction, snow training,
CoCoRaHS for schools, etc.) can be found on our YouTube channel at

http://www.youtube.com/cocorahs/

All episodes of our new "WxTalk Webinar" series -- as well as schedules
and descriptions of future webinars -- can be viewed at:

http://www.cocorahs.org/Content.aspx?page=wxtalk


I am out of time for now, but I also wanted to

1)  Describe how and why we give CoCoRaHS station names and numbers and
what they are based on (we realize that our station names don't always
seem ideal).

2)  Thank you for your excellent participation in SWE Mondays and
discuss how that's working.

3)  A few things about the Feb 29 and March 2 severe weather outbreak --
and to encourage you to look at the March 2 CoCoRaHS national hail map

4)  A few things about hail pads

5)  Some words on the new mapping options for displaying CoCoRaHS data

6)  A couple of recent goings on at the Doesken farm -- transition from
mud to dust and some musings on the relative worth of Geese versus Chickens.

These will wait for a later opportunity.

Thanks so much for being a part of CoCoRaHS.  Please forgive any typos
today as I ran out of time for proofreading but wanted to get this out
anyway.

Sincerely,

Nolan Doesken
Colorado State University

The National Weather Service has opened up a TOLL FREE Hotline for reporting
Severe Weather. This Hotline is for the Public as well as Trained SKYWARN
Spotters.

YOU MUST READ THE ENTIRE POST PRIOR TO REPORTING.
The number is posted at the bottom of this notice.

The National Weather Service encourages everyone to report severe weather.

HOW TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER USING THIS SYSTEM

in order to use this system you must know your,

1: Latitude Longitude by Degrees and Minutes

2: Or Zip Code

If either of these two items are not available then you must leave a very
detailed voice message at the end as to your location

What State are you in,
What County are you in,
What City are you in or closest to,
What is the nearest cross street, highway or interstate,
What mile post,
What is a well known Landmark,
What direction is the storm or event from your location
Is it still occurring,
what direction is it moving I.E. North, South, East, or West.

Be as detailed, in your report and location as possible IDENTIFY YOUR SELF WITH
YOUR NAME PHONE NUMBER, ADDRESS AND CoCoRaHS Station Number
When Prompted to leave a Voice Message.

When Prompted to leave a Voice Message, Remain Calm. Make sure you are in a safe
location. The NWS would much rather not
receive a report if it puts your safety in jeopardy.
YOUR SAFETY COMES FIRST!!!

Be as descriptive as possible, include thickness of tree limbs, rainfall
amounts and any damage or weather occurrence you feel is important to report.

SEVERE WEATHER REPORTING GUIDE LINES FOR WASHINGTON STATE

WESTERN WASHINGTON REGION

1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debris being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado

TORNADO, WATERSPOUT, FUNNEL CLOUD, WALL CLOUD -

Location, time, and direction of movement. Is it still visible? Watch for
rotation in the cloud(s). Any damage?

HAIL - Pea-sized or larger. Any damage?

LIGHTNING - Frequent (4 or more per minute) cloud-to-ground lightning inforested
areas.

DAMAGING WINDS - Trees/power lines knocked down, damage to homes, etc. If you
have an anemometer, report any sustained winds over 35 MPH or gusts over 50 mph.
You Can also use the Beaufort Scale for an estimate. Note: sustained winds are a
one
minute average.

HEAVY RAIN - One-half (0.50) inch in one hour. Two inches or more in 24 hours or
less. Has it ended?

FLOODING - OF ANY KIND! Are waters rising or falling? Any damage, mud or rock
slides, and/or roads blocked?

SNOW - One inch accumulation or more in three hours. 4 inches in 12 hours or
less.

FREEZING PRECIPITATION - Any accumulation of sleet or freezing rain / drizzle.

POOR VISIBILITY - Reduced visibility adversely impacting transportation. Less
than one-half miles for DENSE FOG and BLOWING SNOW.
BLOWING DUST and VOLCANIC ASH. Less than 300 feet

SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON REGION

1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debries being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado

Wind: 50 mph or stronger
Hail: 3/4 inch (penny or dime size) or larger in diameter
Flooding: Any significant amount of water in normally dry areas
River Flooding: Any river rising above their normal bank level
Heavy Rain: Rain rates of 1 inch per hour or greater
And - Rain greater than 1 inch in 24 hours
Heavy Snow: Call while snowing at a rate of 1 inch per hour or greater
And - Call with total snow fall if >= 1 inch when the snow ends
Low Visibilities: Visibility less than 1/2 mile due to fog, dust, rain, or snow
Freezing Rain: Any freezing rain

EASTERN WASHINGTON REGION

FUNNEL CLOUD OR TORNADO
1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debries being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado

HAIL
Pea-sized or larger

STRONG WINDS
30 mph+ or winds that produce any damage. Estimate using Beaufort chart.

HEAVY RAINFALL
0.50 inch in one hour - showery
1 inch in 12 hrs or 1.5 inches in 24 hrs – steady rain

FLOODING
Of any kind...including possible dam or levee failure. Watch for changing water
levels.

SNOW
2 inches or more – valleys
6 inches or more - mountains

MIXED PRECIPITATION
Any freezing rain or sleet

POOR VISIBILITY
One half mile or less in blowing dust or snow etc.

TRAVEL PROBLEMS DUE TO WEATHER
Conditions where poor or hazardous travel conditions observed or reported

ANY DAMAGE, INJURY OR LOSS OF LIFE DUE TO WEATHER
Be sure to include location, time and specific cause

SOUTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON REGION

1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debries being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado
Location, time and direction of movement.

Hail: Pea size or larger.

Lightning: Continuous lightning (more than 6 flashes per minute).

Heavy Rain: Half an inch or more per hour. Report heavy rain even if you are
outside a flood prone area.

Heavy Snow: Accumulations of four inches in 12 hours or one inch per hour.

Flooding: Of ANY kind, including dam or levee failure. Are waters rising or
falling?

Damaging Wind: Trees or power lines knocked down, damage to buildings, etc.
Report any wind of at least 40 mph using the Beaufort Scale.

Fog, Blowing Dust, Blowing Snow: Report initial onslaught of event when poor
visibility impacts travel.

Freezing Rain: Report initial onslaught of event when it impacts travel.
Mudslides: Any event causing damage or road closure.

NATIONAL SEVERE WEATHER REPORTING HOT LINE 877-633-6772

The National Weather Service has opened up a TOLL FREE Hotline for reporting
Severe Weather. This Hotline is for the Public as well as Trained SKYWARN
Spotters.

YOU MUST READ THE ENTIRE POST PRIOR TO REPORTING.
The number is posted at the bottom of this notice.

The National Weather Service encourages everyone to report severe weather.

HOW TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER USING THIS SYSTEM

in order to use this system you must know your,

1: Latitude Longitude by Degrees and Minutes

2: Or Zip Code

If either of these two items are not available then you must leave a very
detailed voice message at the end as to your location

What State are you in,
What County are you in,
What City are you in or closest to,
What is the nearest cross street, highway or interstate,
What mile post,
What is a well known Landmark,
What direction is the storm or event from your location
Is it still occurring,
what direction is it moving I.E. North, South, East, or West.

Be as detailed, in your report and location as possible IDENTIFY YOUR SELF WITH
YOUR NAME PHONE NUMBER, ADDRESS AND CoCoRaHS Station Number
When Prompted to leave a Voice Message.

When Prompted to leave a Voice Message, Remain Calm. Make sure you are in a safe
location. The NWS would much rather not
receive a report if it puts your safety in jeopardy.
YOUR SAFETY COMES FIRST!!!

Be as descriptive as possible, include thickness of tree limbs, rainfall
amounts and any damage or weather occurrence you feel is important to report.

SEVERE WEATHER REPORTING GUIDE LINES FOR WASHINGTON STATE

WESTERN WASHINGTON REGION

1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debris being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado

TORNADO, WATERSPOUT, FUNNEL CLOUD, WALL CLOUD -

Location, time, and direction of movement. Is it still visible? Watch for
rotation in the cloud(s). Any damage?

HAIL - Pea-sized or larger. Any damage?

LIGHTNING - Frequent (4 or more per minute) cloud-to-ground lightning inforested
areas.

DAMAGING WINDS - Trees/power lines knocked down, damage to homes, etc. If you
have an anemometer, report any sustained winds over 35 MPH or gusts over 50 mph.
You Can also use the Beaufort Scale for an estimate. Note: sustained winds are a
one
minute average.

HEAVY RAIN - One-half (0.50) inch in one hour. Two inches or more in 24 hours or
less. Has it ended?

FLOODING - OF ANY KIND! Are waters rising or falling? Any damage, mud or rock
slides, and/or roads blocked?

SNOW - One inch accumulation or more in three hours. 4 inches in 12 hours or
less.

FREEZING PRECIPITATION - Any accumulation of sleet or freezing rain / drizzle.

POOR VISIBILITY - Reduced visibility adversely impacting transportation. Less
than one-half miles for DENSE FOG and BLOWING SNOW.
BLOWING DUST and VOLCANIC ASH. Less than 300 feet

SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON REGION

1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debries being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado

Wind: 50 mph or stronger
Hail: 3/4 inch (penny or dime size) or larger in diameter
Flooding: Any significant amount of water in normally dry areas
River Flooding: Any river rising above their normal bank level
Heavy Rain: Rain rates of 1 inch per hour or greater
And - Rain greater than 1 inch in 24 hours
Heavy Snow: Call while snowing at a rate of 1 inch per hour or greater
And - Call with total snow fall if >= 1 inch when the snow ends
Low Visibilities: Visibility less than 1/2 mile due to fog, dust, rain, or snow
Freezing Rain: Any freezing rain

EASTERN WASHINGTON REGION

FUNNEL CLOUD OR TORNADO
1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debries being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado

HAIL
Pea-sized or larger

STRONG WINDS
30 mph+ or winds that produce any damage. Estimate using Beaufort chart.

HEAVY RAINFALL
0.50 inch in one hour - showery
1 inch in 12 hrs or 1.5 inches in 24 hrs – steady rain

FLOODING
Of any kind...including possible dam or levee failure. Watch for changing water
levels.

SNOW
2 inches or more – valleys
6 inches or more - mountains

MIXED PRECIPITATION
Any freezing rain or sleet

POOR VISIBILITY
One half mile or less in blowing dust or snow etc.

TRAVEL PROBLEMS DUE TO WEATHER
Conditions where poor or hazardous travel conditions observed or reported

ANY DAMAGE, INJURY OR LOSS OF LIFE DUE TO WEATHER
Be sure to include location, time and specific cause

SOUTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON REGION

1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debries being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado
Location, time and direction of movement.

Hail: Pea size or larger.

Lightning: Continuous lightning (more than 6 flashes per minute).

Heavy Rain: Half an inch or more per hour. Report heavy rain even if you are
outside a flood prone area.

Heavy Snow: Accumulations of four inches in 12 hours or one inch per hour.

Flooding: Of ANY kind, including dam or levee failure. Are waters rising or
falling?

Damaging Wind: Trees or power lines knocked down, damage to buildings, etc.
Report any wind of at least 40 mph using the Beaufort Scale.

Fog, Blowing Dust, Blowing Snow: Report initial onslaught of event when poor
visibility impacts travel.

Freezing Rain: Report initial onslaught of event when it impacts travel.
Mudslides: Any event causing damage or road closure.

NATIONAL SEVERE WEATHER REPORTING HOT LINE 877-633-6772

Good morning.

Here are some important CoCoRaHS announcements and reminders to pass
along.  I'll be sending another message shortly with additional news,
stories and updates, but I just wanted to make sure you got this first.

1)  This Thursday (April 12) CoCoRaHS is sponsoring a special Webinar on
Flash Flood awareness.  At one time or another, every part of the U.S.
can experience flash flooding.  Every year, millions of dollars of
damage occur and people have frightening experiences (and some lose
their lives) when they are caught in flash floods.  CoCoRaHS was really
started because of a catastrophic flash flood right here in our own city
(Fort Collins, Colorado) literally in my own back yard.

Meteorologist Matt Kelsch, a long-time CoCoRaHS volunteer leader as well
as a renowned expert on flash floods, will be our special guest.  The
webinar will be this Thursday at 11 AM Mountain Daylight time (1 PM
Eastern, noon Central and 10 AM Pacific).  Here is the link to register.

https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/428287734

If you are not available at that time, the entire webinar will be
archived for later viewing (as well as our many other webinars and
training resources) at  http://www.youtube.com/cocorahs/
I hope you can join us for this very important awareness training.

2).  Monday, April 16 at 6:30 PM Mountain time (8:30 PM Eastern, 7:30
Central, 5:30 PM Pacific, and earlier in AK and HI).  Zach Schwalbe from
the CoCoRaHS staff will be giving a much-requested presentation on "How
to use the CoCoRaHS website!"

We get questions every week  -- how to edit typos in daily precipitation
reports, how to fill in missing data, how to find hail reports, how to
find Alaska snowfall maps, etc. etc.  -- you name it.  Zach will
demonstrate many features of the CoCoRaHS website and how to use it.  If
you are new to CoCoRaHS or just want to get better at using the website,
please consider joining us.  I hope this evening webinar time works for
you.  To register, please go to:

https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/832871798

3)  Other upcoming events:
For a schedule of upcoming webinars this summer and fall (lightning,
hurricanes, extreme rainfall, wildfire, aurora borealis and more plus a
special feature on "How to Become a Meteorologist", check out our WxTalk
Webinar webpage at:

http://www.cocorahs.org/Content.aspx?page=wxtalk


4)  IMPORTANT, IMPORTANT,  IMPORTANT!!

Nearly all of us in CoCoRaHS are familiar with and have used the "Daily
Precipitation Report Form"  That form is the one the automatically
appears when you log in and when you click on "My Data"  But did you
know there are several other forms you can fill out in special
situations?  Just look over on the left hand side of the page and you
will see "Enter My New Reports".  There is a list including
- Hail
- Significant Weather
- Multi-Day Accumulation
- Monthly Zeros
- Drought Impact Report

If you have hail of any size or amount, please use the "Hail" report to
send in this information as soon as you safely can during or after a
hail event.  The information immediately shows up on the CoCoRaHS hail
maps   http://www.cocorahs.org/Maps/ViewMap.aspx?state=usa

But even more importantly, the data are immediately sent to your local
National Weather Service office to help provide early warning of severe
or significant weather.  The next time you experience hail at your
location, please remember to use the hail report.  If you are also a NWS
Severe Weather Spotter, use their reporting criteria first, but then use
the CoCoRaHS report form for the additional detail. There is no other
similar reporting system in the country for documenting stone size,
color, hardness etc -- and this is very important information especially
with the new Dual Polarization radar system being deployed by the
National Weather Service now to help distinguish rain from hail.

If you experience heavy rain (or snow) in progress or just ended, or if
you experience any other conditions that you feel would be important for
your local weather forecasters to know then please use the "Significant
Weather Report" form.  Again, this information goes directly to your
local National Weather Service.  Many people ask "how do I know what is
considered "significant"?  What constitutes "heavy rain"?  That varies a
lot from place to place in the country.  In Oregon and Washington 0.30"
or more in an hour constitutes very heavy rain while in Florida and the
Gulf Coast folks may not get excited until the rainfall rate is 1 or 2"
per hour.  But if YOU think the weather you are experiencing is
significant, then please report it.

Please familiarize yourself with these options (including Drought Impact
Reports) and please make use of these features when you can.

Also, be on the lookout for a new reporting option coming soon
(Evapotranspiration) that we will be using to help track the water
balance across the country.

Forgot your CoCoRaHS Login??
If you have forgotten how to log in or if your login no longer works,
please contact us at info@...   Also, you can just click on
"Log in" and use the "Find My Login" information to help yourself.


Thanks, Thanks and Thanks!

I cannot tell you enough how helpful your precipitation reports are (and
have been) -- to climatologists, to meteorologists, to agronomists, to
entomologists, to hydrologists, to emergency managers, to dam safety
engineers  -- etc, etc, etc.  Thank you for being a part of CoCoRaHS.
Continue to spread the word to other potential volunteers so we can fill
in the reporting gaps across the country.

Have a fine spring day.

Nolan Doesken
Colorado State University

Sent at: 11:36a PST

Please see the attached document: is_22_dates_for_2012.pdf

The National Weather Service has opened up a TOLL FREE Hotline for reporting
Severe Weather. This Hotline is for the Public as well as Trained SKYWARN
Spotters.

YOU MUST READ THE ENTIRE POST PRIOR TO REPORTING.
The number is posted at the bottom of this notice.

The National Weather Service encourages everyone to report severe weather.

HOW TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER USING THIS SYSTEM

in order to use this system you must know your,

1: Latitude Longitude by Degrees and Minutes

2: Or Zip Code

If either of these two items are not available then you must leave a very
detailed voice message at the end as to your location

What State are you in,
What County are you in,
What City are you in or closest to,
What is the nearest cross street, highway or interstate,
What mile post,
What is a well known Landmark,
What direction is the storm or event from your location
Is it still occurring,
what direction is it moving I.E. North, South, East, or West.

Be as detailed, in your report and location as possible IDENTIFY YOUR SELF WITH
YOUR NAME PHONE NUMBER, ADDRESS AND CoCoRaHS Station Number
When Prompted to leave a Voice Message.

When Prompted to leave a Voice Message, Remain Calm. Make sure you are in a safe
location. The NWS would much rather not
receive a report if it puts your safety in jeopardy.
YOUR SAFETY COMES FIRST!!!

Be as descriptive as possible, include thickness of tree limbs, rainfall
amounts and any damage or weather occurrence you feel is important to report.

SEVERE WEATHER REPORTING GUIDE LINES FOR WASHINGTON STATE

WESTERN WASHINGTON REGION

1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debris being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado

TORNADO, WATERSPOUT, FUNNEL CLOUD, WALL CLOUD -

Location, time, and direction of movement. Is it still visible? Watch for
rotation in the cloud(s). Any damage?

HAIL - Pea-sized or larger. Any damage?

LIGHTNING - Frequent (4 or more per minute) cloud-to-ground lightning inforested
areas.

DAMAGING WINDS - Trees/power lines knocked down, damage to homes, etc. If you
have an anemometer, report any sustained winds over 35 MPH or gusts over 50 mph.
You Can also use the Beaufort Scale for an estimate. Note: sustained winds are a
one
minute average.

HEAVY RAIN - One-half (0.50) inch in one hour. Two inches or more in 24 hours or
less. Has it ended?

FLOODING - OF ANY KIND! Are waters rising or falling? Any damage, mud or rock
slides, and/or roads blocked?

SNOW - One inch accumulation or more in three hours. 4 inches in 12 hours or
less.

FREEZING PRECIPITATION - Any accumulation of sleet or freezing rain / drizzle.

POOR VISIBILITY - Reduced visibility adversely impacting transportation. Less
than one-half miles for DENSE FOG and BLOWING SNOW.
BLOWING DUST and VOLCANIC ASH. Less than 300 feet

SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON REGION

1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debries being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado

Wind: 50 mph or stronger
Hail: 3/4 inch (penny or dime size) or larger in diameter
Flooding: Any significant amount of water in normally dry areas
River Flooding: Any river rising above their normal bank level
Heavy Rain: Rain rates of 1 inch per hour or greater
And - Rain greater than 1 inch in 24 hours
Heavy Snow: Call while snowing at a rate of 1 inch per hour or greater
And - Call with total snow fall if >= 1 inch when the snow ends
Low Visibilities: Visibility less than 1/2 mile due to fog, dust, rain, or snow
Freezing Rain: Any freezing rain

EASTERN WASHINGTON REGION

FUNNEL CLOUD OR TORNADO
1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debries being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado

HAIL
Pea-sized or larger

STRONG WINDS
30 mph+ or winds that produce any damage. Estimate using Beaufort chart.

HEAVY RAINFALL
0.50 inch in one hour - showery
1 inch in 12 hrs or 1.5 inches in 24 hrs – steady rain

FLOODING
Of any kind...including possible dam or levee failure. Watch for changing water
levels.

SNOW
2 inches or more – valleys
6 inches or more - mountains

MIXED PRECIPITATION
Any freezing rain or sleet

POOR VISIBILITY
One half mile or less in blowing dust or snow etc.

TRAVEL PROBLEMS DUE TO WEATHER
Conditions where poor or hazardous travel conditions observed or reported

ANY DAMAGE, INJURY OR LOSS OF LIFE DUE TO WEATHER
Be sure to include location, time and specific cause

SOUTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON REGION

1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debries being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado
Location, time and direction of movement.

Hail: Pea size or larger.

Lightning: Continuous lightning (more than 6 flashes per minute).

Heavy Rain: Half an inch or more per hour. Report heavy rain even if you are
outside a flood prone area.

Heavy Snow: Accumulations of four inches in 12 hours or one inch per hour.

Flooding: Of ANY kind, including dam or levee failure. Are waters rising or
falling?

Damaging Wind: Trees or power lines knocked down, damage to buildings, etc.
Report any wind of at least 40 mph using the Beaufort Scale.

Fog, Blowing Dust, Blowing Snow: Report initial onslaught of event when poor
visibility impacts travel.

Freezing Rain: Report initial onslaught of event when it impacts travel.
Mudslides: Any event causing damage or road closure.

NATIONAL SEVERE WEATHER REPORTING HOT LINE 877-633-6772

Dear rain gauge team,


That was quite the storm system that has been sweeping across the
country this weekend.  Thanks for all the reports.  We WERE looking
forward to a soaking rain or even a wet snow here in Fort Collins
(Colorado) but somehow it skipped right over us.  All we get was a few
sprinkles and a lot of wind.  After having our driest March on record
(in 124 years) we aren't doing much better this month, either.  But it
was good to see California get some more rain this week and for Oregon
and Washington to get a couple of warm, dry days before the next storm
moves in.  Our Colorado mountains got a much needed snow yesterday and
today -- it's been so dry up there.  Except for troubles caused by the
bout of severe storms, the rains across the Midwest have also been
greatly appreciated.  Now if we could just get something down to the
Southeastern States.


The CoCoRaHS website!

We get tons of questions every week from both new and experienced
volunteers about how to access and use various parts of the CoCoRaHS
website  (logging in, entering data, editing data, viewing maps,
retrieving historic information, etc.)  We probably should have done
this sooner, but at last we are holding a CoCoRaHS Website Tutorial
webinar tomorrow evening (8:30 PM Eastern, 7:30 PM Central, 6:30 PM
Mountain, 5:30 PM Pacific, etc. for anyone who would like to get better
at using the website.

Zach Schwalbe, the CoCoRaHS "answer man" who fields most of our
questions, will be presenting this webinar.  So if you have the time,
the interest and the necessary computer resources, please register and
join us this Monday evening (Feb 16th)

Here is the link to register

https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/832871798


More volunteers!

Every day, more and more people from all across the country continue to
sign up to help measure and report precipitation.  This is so great!
North Dakota and North Carolina have each added dozens of new observers
in just the past few weeks.  Arkansas recently acquired 1000 new rain
gauges to help their network of volunteers -- amazing!  So keep
spreading the word and filling in gaps.  This summer we don't want any
major storms to slip through unmeasured.


Farm stories?

I have plenty to tell, but not enough time.  All of our flowering trees
(fruit, bushes, etc) are blooming so early this year it's just
ridiculous -- in some cases we're a full month earlier than average.  So
far we've dodged the bullet of a late freeze, but that could change
tonight.  And the dust in the corral -- must be 2" deep.  Our mud season
was so short this year -- only about a week.  Would welcome some mud
about now.

Best wishes to all, and thanks for sticking with CoCoRaHS.  I hope to be
with some of you on the website webinar tomorrow (Monday evening).

Sincerely,

Nolan Doesken
Colorado State University

Dear rain trackers, weather enthusiasts, friends and family,

A warm welcome to all of you who are new or recent additions to the
Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) and a big
thanks to all of you (thousands now) who have been with CoCoRaHS for a
year or longer.  While many of you are newer to CoCoRaHS, we have many
veterans who have reported at least 1000 times and a few volunteers here
in Colorado who are getting close to their 5,000 th daily report since
the project first started back in 1998 (the year after our bad flood in
Fort Collins).

Whether you are an active rain checker, a former rain checker, a
"planning to set up my gauge real soon" person, or just "thinking about
it", we're glad you're here.

Today I want to tell you about our recent and upcoming training webinars
and then answer a few questions that have been coming up almost every
day.  But first a quick "weather report".


Recent and future rains -- whose turn is it?

Week by week, we've continued to see welcome and sometimes heavy rains
across TX, OK, LA and other areas hit so hard by the big southern
drought last year.  This has been great news for these areas.  But
meanwhile many other areas have been drying out.  Thanks for remembering
to use the CoCoRaHS "Drought Impact Reports" to report conditions in
your area.  That information helps more than you may realize.

It was great to finally see the East take a good soaking the past few
days.  It's been a long time since there was such a widespread storm
there -- and even snow in some areas.  New Jersey has the most CoCoRaHS
rain gauges per square mile than any state -- with the gauges spread
nicely across their entire state.  This recent storm dropped nearly
2.50" -- and remarkably uniform across the state.  From FL to the
northern tip of Maine, beneficial rains finally fell.  Thanks so much
for helping track this for us.

Meanwhile on our side of the country, it's a different story. Here in
northern Colorado this is normally our spring wet season.  But this year
it's looked more like southern New Mexico with daily sunshine, very warm
temperatures (80s predicted for today), no snow (March and April are
often our snowiest months of the year but not this year) -- darn good
cactus weather.  But if this keeps up just a few more weeks we'll be in
serious trouble.  As the "State Climatologist" for Colorado I'm running
from one "water meeting" to the next keeping water officials informed of
our deteriorating drought conditions.  This is not much fun.

But there's good news.  Rain is finally in the forecast for our area for
later this week -- and we need it so much!  Also, rain is predicted for
much of the Mississippi and Missouri River Basins and across the
northern half or 2/3 of the country for the next one - two weeks.  That
would be good.

So keep your rain gauge clean and ready!  If you like to keep tabs of
the long-range forecasts, here is a useful link.
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/


Speaking of clean, what about "birds"?

Spring seems to be the time of year when the most birds in the most
places decide to sit on our lovely rain gauges and leave small gifts.
This is extremely frustrating for some of us.  A couple years ago we
collected suggestions from across the country on how to deal with this.
   Suggestions ranged from bb guns (not recommended -- as holes in rain
gauges are never a good thing) and rubber snakes, to sticky substances,
wind mills, shiny streamers, noise makers and "bird wires".  Overall, I
think the bird wires have been the most successful for the most people
-- just a few thin but rigid wires sticking up at least 2-3" around the
outside rim of your gauge -- held in place by a couple of thick rubber
bands and bent slightly outward so as not to interfere with the
collection of rain.  If you have a better idea that has proved to be
successful, please let me know.


Lightning!

Yes, it is that time of year.  We've had a few rumbles of thunder here
but there will be plenty more in the months ahead -- hopefully.  I was
fascinated by lightning from the time I was a preschooler -- and it is
one of the most widespread weather hazards we deal with across the
country.

Next week, Ron Holle -- who has been studying lightning most of his long
and impactful scientific career -- will be our guest for a special
webinar on lightning and how to stay safe.  Please sign up if you have
time for this one-hour presentation next week (May 3) at 11 AM Mountain
Time.

Just click here to register.
https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/736311742

To see the schedule of other upcoming weather seminars, see our WxTalk
webpages   http://www.cocorahs.org/Content.aspx?page=wxtalk

We archive each webinar so you can view them at any time.  Matt Kelch's
"Flash Flood" webinar was incredible and I highly recommend checking it out.

To kick off the 2012 hurricane season, our guest will be Chris Landsea
with the National Hurricane Center.  I hope you can join us for that one.


How to use the CoCoRaHS Website?

Nearly 300 attended Zach's informative webinar on the basics of using
the CoCoRaHS website -- everything from how to log in, entering
precipitation reports, editing data, viewing maps, etc etc.  We also had
many, many questions -- plus a lot of disappointed volunteers who were
unable to attend.  The good news is we just posted the class so anyone
with moderately high speed internet and a compatible browser can view
it.  Here's the link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPtlHBl9g4U&feature=youtu.be


Do I need to report to CoCoRaHS when it doesn't rain?

We get this question all the time.  The answer is:   You are a
volunteer.  You know how much time you can spare.  If you can spare the
extra minute it takes to report your 0.00", we really appreciate it a
lot.  Zero is a valid and important reading that confirms that you
received no precipitation.  We realize that it is not particularly
satisfying to report "no precipitation" but it makes your precipitation
records more valuable.  If you can, please do report your zeros.  And
remember, we have a special report form (nicely described in Zach's
webinar) called the "Monthly Zeros report" where you can go back to view
a full month at a time on a calendar view and see your reports -- and
then just click on each day when you had no precipitation in your gauge
that morning.

http://www.cocorahs.org/Admin/MyDataEntry/MonthlyZerosReport.aspx


What does my station number and name mean?

This is another common question.  When we sign up for CoCoRaHS we are
immediately and automatically issued a CoCoRaHS station number.   It
looks something like this CO-LR-273  (that's mine).  The first two
letters are obviously your state abbreviation.  Then comes a dash.  The
second two letters (three in some states with large numbers of counties)
are an abbreviation for the name of your county.  Then comes another
dash (-).  Finally, there is a number.  This is simply a sequence
number.  If you happened to get "1" then you were the very first person
to sign up in your county.  We get really excited every time we see a #1
-- as we continue to try to fill in every county of the country.  We
still have a few hundred counties to go, but we did have a #1 from Grant
County, Arkansas, join CoCoRaHS just yesterdayd.  Here in Larimer
County, Colorado, we are already in the 900s and could reach 1000 later
this year or next.  That's a lot of volunteers for one county, but we
appreciate each and every one.  We now have a number of counties across
the country with over 100 registered CoCoRaHS volunteers.  That is worth
celebrating.

Then, a day or two later you received an e-mail with a letter than
contained your assigned "station name".  The name will look like this
"My town 3.7NNE" or something like that.  This name is supposed to
represent your distance (in miles and tenths) and direction from the
center of the nearest known city or town.  A station name "Littletown
1.8 SE" should represent a postion 1.8 miles SE of the middle of
Littletown.

Not all of you were pleased with the name we assigned your station as it
may not have agreed with how you identify your location.  Our computer
system assigns three potential names to each new station based on the
latitude and longitude coordinates on a list of "naming points" that we
were given several years ago by the National Weather Service.  As some
of you have noticed, some of these locations seem odd.  More than likely
there were some errors on the list.  The "middle of town" is not always
in the "middle of town" for example   Likewise, it is possible that you
were named relative to a town that isn't really the nearest town.  But
not every town was on the NWS list.  So we did our best.  The names are
not that important -- as long as we get your latitude and longitude
correct on our maps.  But the names come in handy when quickly scanning
reports.  they are particularly important on your hail and significant
weather reports that go to the National Weather Service.


A very dusty, old farm -- with an old dog

Our fruit trees have already blossomed, our trees are nearly in full
leaf, the grass turned green but then brown again and is not growing.
There is so much dust -- but the chickens seem to like that. Our well is
dry until the irrigation ditch begins to flow -- and that's not usually
until mid May.  This year it may not flow much at all since there is so
little snow in our mountains.  To keep our compost piles going (we do a
lot of composting) we've had to use our regular tap water -- so our
water bill is going to be high.  Unless things change fast, there won't
be much irrigation water.  I filed my first drought impact report a few
days ago to describe the early dryness we're experiencing.  I see that
some of our nearby counties have "Red Flag Warnings" in place for today.
   I don't care much for such dryness -- not this time of year.  The
Weather Service just downgraded our chances of thunderstorms on Thursday
from 40% to 30% but at least that's better than "mostly sunny".  Also,
the temperature should be back into the 60s instead of the 80s -- so
that will put less stress on the vegetation.  Neighbors are already
planting beans and tomatoes, even though history has shown that's not a
good idea here until at least the middle of May.  We'll see how this all
works.

Our Angel (our aging Great Pyrenees) has had some rough days of late.
Her attitude towards life is great, but her hips are just about shot.
Most of last week I had to pick her up (all 100 pounds) to get her
moving.  We really didn't have the time, but we took the time anyway to
spend an hour or two on both Saturday and Sunday just to bathe and groom
her -- knowing that the time was coming soon to make a hard decision.
But somehow that extra love seems to have paid off.  Today she's up and
around again roaming the perimeter and letting out those marvelous deep
"Woofs"  We'll hopefully be able to enjoy a few more weeks or months
together.


In conclusion

Please enjoy spring -- whatever it may bring you.  We just don't know
how many we will get.

Sincerely,

Nolan Doesken
Colorado State University

The National Weather Service has opened up a TOLL FREE Hotline for reporting
Severe Weather. This Hotline is for the Public as well as Trained SKYWARN
Spotters.

YOU MUST READ THE ENTIRE POST PRIOR TO REPORTING.
The number is posted at the bottom of this notice.

The National Weather Service encourages everyone to report severe weather.

HOW TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER USING THIS SYSTEM

in order to use this system you must know your,

1: Latitude Longitude by Degrees and Minutes

2: Or Zip Code

If either of these two items are not available then you must leave a very
detailed voice message at the end as to your location

What State are you in,
What County are you in,
What City are you in or closest to,
What is the nearest cross street, highway or interstate,
What mile post,
What is a well known Landmark,
What direction is the storm or event from your location
Is it still occurring,
what direction is it moving I.E. North, South, East, or West.

Be as detailed, in your report and location as possible IDENTIFY YOUR SELF WITH
YOUR NAME PHONE NUMBER, ADDRESS AND CoCoRaHS Station Number
When Prompted to leave a Voice Message.

When Prompted to leave a Voice Message, Remain Calm. Make sure you are in a safe
location. The NWS would much rather not
receive a report if it puts your safety in jeopardy.
YOUR SAFETY COMES FIRST!!!

Be as descriptive as possible, include thickness of tree limbs, rainfall
amounts and any damage or weather occurrence you feel is important to report.

SEVERE WEATHER REPORTING GUIDE LINES FOR WASHINGTON STATE

WESTERN WASHINGTON REGION

1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debris being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado

TORNADO, WATERSPOUT, FUNNEL CLOUD, WALL CLOUD -

Location, time, and direction of movement. Is it still visible? Watch for
rotation in the cloud(s). Any damage?

HAIL - Pea-sized or larger. Any damage?

LIGHTNING - Frequent (4 or more per minute) cloud-to-ground lightning inforested
areas.

DAMAGING WINDS - Trees/power lines knocked down, damage to homes, etc. If you
have an anemometer, report any sustained winds over 35 MPH or gusts over 50 mph.
You Can also use the Beaufort Scale for an estimate. Note: sustained winds are a
one
minute average.

HEAVY RAIN - One-half (0.50) inch in one hour. Two inches or more in 24 hours or
less. Has it ended?

FLOODING - OF ANY KIND! Are waters rising or falling? Any damage, mud or rock
slides, and/or roads blocked?

SNOW - One inch accumulation or more in three hours. 4 inches in 12 hours or
less.

FREEZING PRECIPITATION - Any accumulation of sleet or freezing rain / drizzle.

POOR VISIBILITY - Reduced visibility adversely impacting transportation. Less
than one-half miles for DENSE FOG and BLOWING SNOW.
BLOWING DUST and VOLCANIC ASH. Less than 300 feet

SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON REGION

1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debries being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado

Wind: 50 mph or stronger
Hail: 3/4 inch (penny or dime size) or larger in diameter
Flooding: Any significant amount of water in normally dry areas
River Flooding: Any river rising above their normal bank level
Heavy Rain: Rain rates of 1 inch per hour or greater
And - Rain greater than 1 inch in 24 hours
Heavy Snow: Call while snowing at a rate of 1 inch per hour or greater
And - Call with total snow fall if >= 1 inch when the snow ends
Low Visibilities: Visibility less than 1/2 mile due to fog, dust, rain, or snow
Freezing Rain: Any freezing rain

EASTERN WASHINGTON REGION

FUNNEL CLOUD OR TORNADO
1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debries being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado

HAIL
Pea-sized or larger

STRONG WINDS
30 mph+ or winds that produce any damage. Estimate using Beaufort chart.

HEAVY RAINFALL
0.50 inch in one hour - showery
1 inch in 12 hrs or 1.5 inches in 24 hrs – steady rain

FLOODING
Of any kind...including possible dam or levee failure. Watch for changing water
levels.

SNOW
2 inches or more – valleys
6 inches or more - mountains

MIXED PRECIPITATION
Any freezing rain or sleet

POOR VISIBILITY
One half mile or less in blowing dust or snow etc.

TRAVEL PROBLEMS DUE TO WEATHER
Conditions where poor or hazardous travel conditions observed or reported

ANY DAMAGE, INJURY OR LOSS OF LIFE DUE TO WEATHER
Be sure to include location, time and specific cause

SOUTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON REGION

1: TORNADO: A violently rotating column of air IN CONTACT with the ground and
extending from the base of a thunderstorm.
Visual Key: is there dust & debries being picked up below the funnel

2: FUNNEL CLOUD: Violently rotating column of air that is not in contact with
the ground.
Visual Key: Look below the Funnel for Dust and debris being picked up if there
is then it is a Tornado
Location, time and direction of movement.

Hail: Pea size or larger.

Lightning: Continuous lightning (more than 6 flashes per minute).

Heavy Rain: Half an inch or more per hour. Report heavy rain even if you are
outside a flood prone area.

Heavy Snow: Accumulations of four inches in 12 hours or one inch per hour.

Flooding: Of ANY kind, including dam or levee failure. Are waters rising or
falling?

Damaging Wind: Trees or power lines knocked down, damage to buildings, etc.
Report any wind of at least 40 mph using the Beaufort Scale.

Fog, Blowing Dust, Blowing Snow: Report initial onslaught of event when poor
visibility impacts travel.

Freezing Rain: Report initial onslaught of event when it impacts travel.
Mudslides: Any event causing damage or road closure.

NATIONAL SEVERE WEATHER REPORTING HOT LINE 877-633-6772

Help your CoCoRaHS by Donating Today.

Go to https://advancing.colostate.edu/csu.asp?COE/COCORAHS/GIVE

And Donate on Line
When filling out the Donation form be sure to Donate on Behalf of your county.

Also Double increase your contribution by looking up your employer to see if
they have a matching contribution program.
http://www.matchinggifts.com/colostate/

Timely information!
Thanks for submitting your CoCoRaHS report. One of the regular users of CoCoRaHS
rain, hail and snow data is the National Weather Service (NWS). Regardless of
when you submit your reports, the information you transmit is useful and
appreciated. However, if you would like your data used in daily weather and
river forecasts, then please submit your daily precipitation report by 9 AM each
day. Submit hail and intense precipitation reports as soon as possible during or
after storms to aid forecasters in issuing severe weather statements.

Washington State CoCoRaHS wishes to extend our thanks to all the sponsors that
have generously helped the CoCoRaHS Program

Washington State Sponsors

The National Weather Service,
The Office of the Washington State Climatologist
&
The Washington State Department of Ecology.

National Sponsors

     *  CIRA - CSU Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere1997,
1999-2001, 2004-present
     * The Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station at Colorado State University
1998-present
     * Colorado State University—Department of Atmospheric Science 1998-present
     * Colorado State University CHILL Radar Laboratory 1998-present
     * Mountain States Weather Services 1998-present
     * City of Fort Collins Utilities—Water and Storm Water 1998-present
     * National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 2006-present
     * National Science Foundation 1999-2006
     * National Weather Service 1999-present
     * Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District 1999-present
     * City of Loveland Water and Power 1999-present
     * University of Northern Colorado, Earth Sciences Department 1999-present
     * Urban Drainage and Flood Control District 2001-present
     * Denver Cooperative Extension Office 2002-present
     * Denver Water 2002-2003, 2005-present
     * Southeast Colorado Resource, Conservation and Development 2003-present
     * East Central Colorado Resource, Conservation and Development 2003-present
     * City of Golden 2004-present
     * DayWeather, Inc. 2004 -present
     * Wyoming Farm Service Agency, 2005-present
     * U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management  2005-present
     * City of Aurora  2006-present
     * Texas Floodplain Managment Association  2007-present
     * Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority  2007-present
     * Lower Colorado River Authority 2007-present
     * Wallingford Software 2008-present
     * San Antonio River Authority 2008-present
     * PRISM 2008

To Learn More about our sponsors, Please Feel Free to visit the CoCoRaHS Sponsor
Page at http://www.cocorahs.org/Content.aspx?page=sponsors

To all our CoCoRaHS Volunteer Observers.

You are truly the heart and soul of the CoCoRaHS Organization. If it were not
for you the Volunteer Observer, your hard work and effort, braving the cold, wet
and sometimes windy, nasty weather that you have to endure to get your daily
reports in, in a timely manner, this program would not be a success.

  So, from All the Coordinators here at CoCoRaHS,
The forecasters at the National Weather Service,
the Office of Climatology and everyone else that uses your reports


THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU