Wetland Coffee Break

media release: How you can help gather better information about rainfall and runoff through the “CoCoRaHS” program: “Because every drop counts!”

Taylor Patterson, National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan

Having accurate and local rainfall data impacts the ability of the National Weather Service to improve forecast accuracy and issue more timely and accurate flood watches and warnings. Local rainfall data also improves the modeling that communities use in their emergency management and restoration planning. When that information is inaccurate or outdated, flood-prone communities have a difficult time understanding and addressing flood risks and vulnerabilities. In this talk you’ll learn about how citizen science is being utilized to improve the quality and availability of local rainfall data and how you can help! Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) is a grass-roots organization that uses the web to gather reports from volunteer observers. Having a greater density of precipitation reports makes it possible to determine the impact of storms more accurately and gauge the severity of droughts or floods. Adding just a few observers within a given county will lead to a more accurate picture of the weather. Join meteorologist Taylor Patterson to learn more about becoming a volunteer (it’s easier than you think!) and help collect invaluable data.

Taylor Patterson is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan. She has been working with the National Weather Service since 2018. Among her other responsibilities as a meteorologist, Taylor works as one of the Wisconsin state coordinators for CoCoRaHS. She received her bachelor’s degree in Atmospheric Sciences from Central Michigan University.