State Climate Center Wants Public's Help With Rain Totals

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (CBS4) – The Colorado Climate Center would like Colorado residents to help weather experts at Colorado State University map rainfall totals.

After the recent rain and flooding in Colorado experts have been mapping rainfall totals and graphing hourly intensities for the entire state since Sept. 8.

"As is typical of Colorado storms, some parts of the state were hard hit and others were untouched. Still, this storm is ranking in the Top 10 extreme flooding events since Colorado statehood," state climatologist Nolan Doesken, said in a statement. "It isn't yet as extreme or widespread as the June 1965 floods or as dramatic as the 1935 floods but it ranks right up there among some of the worst."

While most of the data comes from rain gauges maintained by several federal and local agencies, there are still many parts of Colorado where the experts don't know how much rain has fallen.

"We realize that many people have weather stations and cameras, and sharing that data could help fill in the gaps to better document the timing of rainfall and its intensity and the patterns of subsequent flooding. Even just a measurement from a bucket that was left outdoors could be helpful -- provided you tell us the dimensions of the bucket," Doesken said.

Rain gauge measurements, personal anecdotes and unique photos that will help should be sent to coflood2013@gmail.com.

Daily and storm total rainfall patterns will be available on the Colorado Climate Center website ccc.atmos.colostate.edu. Rainfall maps for the entire U.S. and parts of Canada are updated daily at cocorahs.org.

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