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FSU CLIMATE OFFICE SEEKS VOLUNTEERS FOR STATEWIDE RAIN GAUGE NETWORK

January 2008: TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The Florida Climate Center at Florida State University is looking for volunteers to help collect rainfall data across the state as part of the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network, better known as CoCoRaHS.

The CoCoRaHS program started in Colorado in 1998 and has expanded to 27 states where more than 7,500 observers take daily measurements of rain, hail and snow, according to Melissa Griffin, coordinator of research programs and services at the Florida Climate Center and assistant state climatologist. She and Pat Welsh of the University of North Florida serve as CoCoRaHS co-coordinators for Florida. The non-profit organization stresses training and education and welcomes volunteers from all walks of life to take part in monitoring precipitation.

"This is a great chance for weather enthusiasts and average citizens to be part of a project that collects vital rainfall data," Griffin said. "The data is readily available to the general public and other organizations."

Volunteers use low-cost equipment and an interactive Web site to provide the highest quality data for natural resources, education and research applications. Climatologists, hydrologists, water resource managers and the National Weather Service are just some of the users of the high-density rainfall reports.

The Florida Climate Center, with support from the University of North Florida, has registered more than 500 volunteers since Oct. 1, but more observers are needed, according to Griffin.

"Official measuring stations across the state are sparse, and we often will miss rainfall due to the localized nature of our rains," she said. "With trained volunteers, CoCoRaHS helps fill these gaps and supply users with a better picture of the state's rainfall patterns."

For example, at the end of October 2007, a heavy rain hit parts of the Western Panhandle. CoCoRaHS observers in the area were able to submit their rainfall reports -- some of which were more than 12 inches of rain in a 24-hour period.

"The rainfall reports were extremely helpful in verifying radar rainfall estimates across the Pensacola area during the event," said Jack Cullen, a forecaster with the Mobile National Weather Service office and a CoCoRaHS coordinator for the area. "This allowed us to better target the flash flood warnings."

Julie Terrell, director of the Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance (CBA), is excited about the opportunity to add additional rainfall reports to the long-term data that CBA volunteers are currently collecting.

"With the help of CoCoRaHS and its volunteers, CBA hopes to acquire valuable information that can help us better manage and protect water resources for years to come," Terrell said.

Other organizations use the data for flood control, agricultural needs, mosquito control and monitoring drought conditions.

"We are extremely pleased with the level of interest, enthusiasm and dedication from all of the CoCoRAHS volunteers across central and southwest Florida," said Colleen Rhea, data acquisition program manager at the National Weather Service Tampa Bay Office. "It's truly a grassroots effort that benefits anyone with a viable interest in weather data."

To volunteer as a CoCoRaHS observer or for more information, visit www.cocorahs.org or email Griffin at griffin@coaps.fsu.edu.

CoCoRaHS is nationally funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Science Foundation. Partners in Florida include the Office of the State Climatologist and the Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies at FSU and the Advanced Weather Information Systems Lab at UNF.

For more stories about FSU, visit our news site at www.fsu.com

FSU joins alliance studying northern Gulf Coast

December 2006: Florida State University has joined a new cooperative institute that will work with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to study the physics and ecosystem dynamics of the northern Gulf of Mexico.

The new Northern Gulf Institute will study coastal hazards, climate change, water quality, ecosystem management, coastal wetlands and pollution. Besides FSU, the consortium includes Mississippi State University, the University of Southern Mississippi, Louisiana State University and Alabama's Dauphin Island Sea Lab.
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FSU, NOAA scientists: 'Trapped wave' caused unexpected Dennis surge

October 2006: When Hurricane Dennis passed North Florida on July 10, 2005, it caused a 10-foot storm surge in some areas - about 3 to 6 feet more than forecasters had predicted - that couldn't be explained only by the local winds that conventionally drive storm surge.

Now, scientists at Florida State University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have found that the surge in Apalachee Bay was amplified by a "trapped wave" that originated off the South Florida coast. The discovery of this previously undocumented storm surge phenomenon has changed how NOAA's National Hurricane Center prepares storm surge models for the Gulf of Mexico. The new modeling technique will improve the accuracy of storm surge forecasts for the entire Gulf coast from Florida to Texas.
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FSU Gets $6.2 Million Grant to Build Hurricane Prediction Model

July 2006: Florida State University does not have a crystal ball, but it is developing a new tool that could possibly see the strength of future hurricane seasons.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has awarded the FSU Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies (COAPS) a $6.2 million, five-year grant to support the development of a model that may more accurately predict the number of hurricanes in an upcoming season, according to COAPS director emeritus James O'Brien, the Robert O. Lawton Professor of Meteorology and Oceanography and state climatologist... more on this story