How To Make Recording Precipitation Fun & Convenient

    Happy Valentine's Day! In a recent blog post we touched on the role of consistent precipitation reporting in the CoCoRahs initiative, as well as its importance to decision makers and scientists. It is clear that reporting days with measurable precipitation is key. However, days with zero precipitation are equally important for consistent reporting, and are sometimes overlooked. It is important to remember that when viewed together, recording for days with and without precipitation allow us to better understand long-term weather patterns. That is why it is great to capture a recording for everyday if you can, even the days without any precipitation.
    Sometimes it is hard to get to the CoCoRaHS site on a daily basis. The days can get busy, or maybe you aren’t near a computer on a particular day. Don’t despair! We have helpful solutions that can work with your day to day routine and still allow you to record days with zero precipitation as well.

1. Keep a weather journal!

    Weather journals can be fun, and if you have an affinity for the traditional pen and paper this is a great option. You can keep up with your daily entries in the journal, and record them later on the CoCoRaHs website at a more convenient time.  Additionally, your recordings do not necessarily have to be made in an actual journal. Your journal can consist of a wall calendar, notes on your refrigerator, recordings in a daytimer, or any other method that works for you.



“Keeping records enhances the pleasures of the search and also the chance of finding meaning in these events.” - Aldo Leopold


2. Texting 

    You can simply send yourself a daily text for a basic solution. It may sound silly, but it is straightforward and easy. Send a text message to your own number with the recording for a specific day. Many phones will automatically include the date and time with each individual text. Once you are ready to enter the recordings on CoCoRaHs, you can look at past individual texts all grouped together under one text stream.


3. Smartphone apps for note taking

    If you have a smartphone and want a slightly more sophisticated option, there are many apps you can use to make precipitation recordings. The iPhone has a note taking app called “Notes”, which is already conveniently installed on the iPhone. There are also more advanced solutions for note taking apps that can be downloaded from respective phone ‘app stores’. Both Evernote and Simplenote are popular apps and work on a wide variety of smartphones.

Simplenote

Evernote

    We hope you find our tips helpful. If you have suggestions or other methods that work for you feel free to share them with us. Keep up the great work and be sure to record zero for days with no precipitation, thanks!