Farmers have been doing it for years; in coffee cans, rain gauges and tipping buckets; measuring precipitation to try to understand the weather. A province-wide call for volunteers to measure snow and rainfall has now been issued as the Manitoba Government invests in the high-density precipitation and snowfall observation network known as CoCoRaHS. Since 1998 the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) has been collecting rainfall data south of the border as a way to learn more about precipitation patterns. Now Manitobans will also have the chance to submit their weather observations as, for the first time, CoCoRaHS is expanding into Canada. CoCoRaHS is being administered as a collaboration between WeatherFarm and Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation. "We are trying to build a network that gives good representation in all communities across Manitoba." says spokesperson Guy Ash. The site works by having volunteers monitor precipitation amounts and then enter the data into the CoCoRaHS website where it is analyzed and displayed. Manitoba is the first Canadian province to join the successful American site and Ash hopes that other provinces will soon be on board this first-of-it's-kind social media program for weather. Premier Greg Selinger announced in December 2011 the Manitoba government would invest $165,000 into software installation, website upgrades and weather monitoring equipment so that, for the next five years, Manitoba weather and precipitation patterns could be mapped on the CoCoRaHS network. "Manitoba is always looking for ways to improve flood forecasting," Selinger said. "Flood forecasting is a difficult task which requires sufficient, accurate and timely data." "Eventually when you have enough rain measurements you start to understand how much water is flowing in a watershed," Ash explained. And a better understanding of watershed flow means better estimates for potential flooding and quicker event management. Basically, the more people voluntarily submitting precipitation data, the better. "Being a volunteer involves taking manual daily precipitation measurements and entering your observations into our interactive, public website,” Ash added. “It is a time commitment of less than 10 minutes each day." Incidentally, CoCoRaHS also sells starter packages of equipment required for accurate measurement at a subsidized price of $30 and Government of Manitoba employees can get the package for free. CoCoRaHS also offers specific training with online tutorials. Volunteers can come from anywhere; farms, schools, gardening clubs or just anyone interested in improving response to flooding. "We are hoping for about 250 volunteers," Ash said. "But there's no limit. The more information you have, the better off you are in your estimates and rainfall can vary a lot even in a small area." It's the volunteers who submit data to CoCoRhAS who will directly contribute to improvements in flood prediction and response in our beautiful province. For more information or to fill out an application form, go to www.cocorahs.org or email canada@cocorahs.org