Annual/Termination Reports:

[07/21/2025]

Report Information

Participants

*Note* Many of our participants were not able to attend the meeting this year due to constraints and uncertainty and therefore CoCoRaHS held an internal meeting that was still relevant to the coordinating committee's objectives. Therefore, some of this report may be limited to what could be accomplished with the attendees listed below:

Nolan Doesken (virtual) - Colorado State University (retired)
Russ Schumacher - Colorado State University
Henry Reges - Colorado State University
Steve Hilberg - Colorado State University
Julian Turner - Colorado State University
Noah Newman - Colorado State University
Carol Stolz - Colorado State University
Dani Talmadge - Colorado State University
Tony Bergentino (virtual) - Wyoming State Climate Office
Matt Spies - Connecticut CoCoRaHS State Coordinator

Brief Summary of Minutes

Accomplishments

<p>Short-term Outcomes:<br /><br /></p><br /> <ul><br /> <li>Created a data sync application and processes to sync data with Carto mapping system (maps.cocorahs.org)</li><br /> <li>Created and released&nbsp;Mobile App with support for daily, multi-day, hail, significant weather, and condition monitoring observations</li><br /> <li>Made addtional Web API improvements to support mobile app</li><br /> <li>Photo upload support added to website and app for hail and condition monitoring observations (NSF)</li><br /> <li>New QC Ticketing System integrated into the website</li><br /> <li>Incorporated NOAA and PRISM monthly gridded normals into CoCoRaHS database</li><br /> </ul><br /> <p>Outputs:&nbsp;</p><br /> <ul><br /> <li>Data export &ndash; 5+ million records per month. 70+ million records annually, 99+ percent uptime</li><br /> <li>Relevent publications either about CoCoRaHS, using CoCoRaHS data, or authord/coauthored manuscripts:<br /> <ul><br /> <li>Yao Li, Keith Porter, Katsuichiro Goda, 2024: Hail hazard modeling with uncertainty analysis and roof damage estimation of residential buildings in North America, International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, Volume 113,2024, 104853, ISSN 2212-4209,&nbsp;<a title="link to publication " href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2024.104853" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2024.104853</a>.</li><br /> <li>Vasquez, E. R., and C. Liu, 2024: Radar-Derived Convective Features and Atmospheric Environments of Hail-Producing Storms over the Contiguous United States.&nbsp;Mon. Wea. Rev.,&nbsp;152, 2323&ndash;2339,&nbsp;<a title="link to publication " href="https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-23-0151.1" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-23-0151.1</a>.</li><br /> <li>Renato Morbidelli, et al, 2025:&nbsp;<a title="scicencedirect.com link to Journal of Hydrology Volume 654" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022169425001799?via%3Dihub" target="_blank">A reassessment of the history of the temporal resolution of rainfall data at the global scale</a>.&nbsp;Journal of Hydrology, Volume 654,&nbsp;132841, ISSN&nbsp;0022-1694,&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.132841">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.132841</a>.</li><br /> <li>Naquin, K, et al, 2025:&nbsp;<a title="Journal article from Citizen Science: Theory and Practice - vol 10, no. 1" href="https://theoryandpractice.citizenscienceassociation.org/articles/10.5334/cstp.774" target="_blank">Not Empty Rain Gauges: Experienced Hobbyists Fulfilled in a Contributory Project</a>. Citizen Science: Theory and Practice, vol. 10, no. 1, 2025, p. 12, doi:10.5334/cstp.774.</li><br /> </ul><br /> </li><br /> </ul><br /> <p>Activities:&nbsp;</p><br /> <ul><br /> <li>Prototyped multiple methods of creating a near real-time data sync between the primary SQL Server database and a PostgreSQL database (to&nbsp;be used for mapping and data analysis).</li><br /> <li>Migrated entire cyberinfrastructure to Azure</li><br /> </ul><br /> <p>Milestones:&nbsp;(focusing on recruitment and retention):</p><br /> <ul><br /> <li>In the past 15 years: Reporting Observers up 84%.&nbsp; Daily Reports up 107%.</li><br /> <li>In the past 10 years: Reporting Observers up 37%.&nbsp; Daily Reports up 48%.</li><br /> <li>In the past 5 years: Reporting Observers up 23%.&nbsp; Daily Reports up 28%.</li><br /> </ul>

Publications

<ul><br /> <li>Yao Li, Keith Porter, Katsuichiro Goda, 2024: Hail hazard modeling with uncertainty analysis and roof damage estimation of residential buildings in North America, International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, Volume 113,2024, 104853, ISSN 2212-4209,&nbsp;<a title="link to publication " href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2024.104853" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2024.104853</a>.</li><br /> <li>Vasquez, E. R., and C. Liu, 2024: Radar-Derived Convective Features and Atmospheric Environments of Hail-Producing Storms over the Contiguous United States.&nbsp;Mon. Wea. Rev.,&nbsp;152, 2323&ndash;2339,&nbsp;<a title="link to publication " href="https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-23-0151.1" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-23-0151.1</a>.</li><br /> <li>Renato Morbidelli, et al, 2025:&nbsp;<a title="scicencedirect.com link to Journal of Hydrology Volume 654" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022169425001799?via%3Dihub" target="_blank">A reassessment of the history of the temporal resolution of rainfall data at the global scale</a>.&nbsp;Journal of Hydrology, Volume 654,&nbsp;132841, ISSN&nbsp;0022-1694,&nbsp;<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.132841">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.132841</a>.</li><br /> <li>Naquin, K, et al, 2025:&nbsp;<a title="Journal article from Citizen Science: Theory and Practice - vol 10, no. 1" href="https://theoryandpractice.citizenscienceassociation.org/articles/10.5334/cstp.774" target="_blank">Not Empty Rain Gauges: Experienced Hobbyists Fulfilled in a Contributory Project</a>. Citizen Science: Theory and Practice, vol. 10, no. 1, 2025, p. 12, doi:10.5334/cstp.774.</li><br /> </ul>

Impact Statements

1. CoCoRaHS data are used in grids by PRISM, which in turn are used by the crop insurance industry. CoCoRaHS data save tax payers millions and millions of dollars per year, with $100 billion of crop value insured every year.
2. In addition to Condition Monitoring Reports, CoCoRaHS rainfall and evapotranspiration measurements are incorporated into drought monitoring tools at the Midwest Regional Climate Center: https://mrcc.purdue.edu/cliwatch/drought/drought.jsp
3. CoCoRaHS is a source of new U.S. Coop observers
4. CoCoRaHS data are used by Natural Resource Conservation Service range condition recommendations, which in turn feeds decision by producers (stocking).
5. CoCoRaHS Condition Monitoring Reports have had a significant positive impact on the assessment of drought. For example, The North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council incorporates report information into the weekly state drought map. NWS Forecast Offices in the Carolinas reported using the reports to recommend the drought status in their county warning areas and for other products and forecasts (e.g., fire weather warnings). US Drought Monitor map authors download the reports each week as a GIS layer, as part of their “convergence of evidence” in designating drought.
6. CoCoRaHS precipitation data and Significant Weather Reports are used to verify radar, and are part of NWS Local Storm Reports (LSR) during severe weather and snowstorms. They are used in “event maps” for significant storms by NWS offices.
7. CoCoRaHS Snowfall data are used to secure federal snow removal aid (FEMA). Snowfall used to determine resolution of snow plowing contracts.
8. The National Hurricane Center uses CoCoRaHS for post‐storm analysis.
9. CoCoRaHS data provides the observational density to ensure the quality of both networks (CoCoRaHS and COOP).
10. CoCoRaHS data used to quality control U.S. Cooperative data, and vice versa.
11. CoCoRaHS data are used to help verify State Records from the COOP network, and high quality CoCoRaHS observations can also set records for precipitation.

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