Ticker for July 25, 2006

                
MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ...
July 25, 2006      July 25, 2006      July 25, 2006      July 25, 2006


High-Tech Rainfall Observing Device Employed in Oklahoma

A new platform for observing rainfall is sweeping across the state,
and it uses the most powerful observing instrument known to mankind.
And that instrument is ... well, it's mankind itself. That's right,
despite occasional evidence to the contrary, the most powerful
weather observing computers, processors and accessories are still
attached to our craniums.

On June 15, 2006, Oklahoma joined eleven other states in the Community
Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow (CoCoRaHS) network. CoCoRaHS is
a volunteer network of backyard observers of all ages that measure
and map daily precipitation in local communities. Rainfall is a highly
variable variable (we've been waiting to write that for a while), so
a widespread array of observers helps augment existing high-density
networks.

Now, CoCoRaHS won't provide the up-to-the-minute super-calibrated
observations of the Oklahoma Mesonet or even the hourly observations
of the National Weather Service networks, but a higher density of
daily observations can help with drought monitoring, baseflow
estimation, climate records, and good old-fashioned educational
opprtunities.

Getting involved in the program is simple. Plenty of information is
available at www.cocorahs.org ... Better yet, contact Andrew Reader
at 405-325-3230 or areader@mesonet.org.