CoCoRaHS
Original Location
IN-AL-39In January 2010, I became part of the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow (CoCoRaHS) Network and obtained the officially approved manually operated 4" rain gauge. It was always attached to the same mounting post as the Davis Vantage Pro2, and both times on the easterly side of the post. The complete gauge stuck about 3" above the top of the green post (slightly above the top of the rain bucket). My CoCoRaHS station id was IN-AL-39 (i.e. the 39th CoCoRaHS rain gauge installed in Allen County, Indiana). In addition to rain, I also reported snowfall, snow depth, and hail information to CoCoRaHS; all of which is archived on the CoCoRaHS website. Simply click on the View Data link near the top center of the CoCoRaHS website (or click on the IN-AL-39 link to the right here), pick the data set, and enter my original station id to browse through all my reports.
Current Location
IN-AL-99On 12 June 2021, I began reporting data at my current home. The rain gauge is mounted on the same pole as the WeatherFlow Tempest sensor, about three feet below that sensor. My CoCoRaHS station id is now IN-AL-99. I still report snow and hail information to CoCoRaHS. As before, simply click on the View Data link near the top center of the CoCoRaHS website (or click on the IN-AL-99 link to the right here), pick the data set, and enter my current station id to browse through all my reports.
Accuracy of Vantage Pro2 rain gauge
In use through June 2016, when compared to the co-located CoCoRaHS rain gauge, my original Vantage Pro2 rain gauge fairly consistently under-reported liquid precipitation by 10-15%, when water was able to flow freely. The discrepancy seemed to be largest during heavier rain events, so I believe there was some water loss as the tipping mechanism couldn't keep up. Additionally, in use until August 2014, the original rain bucket (which funnels rain into the tipping mechanism) would at times become clogged by leaves or bird droppings so that only a small amount of water would seep through into the tipping mechanism; and occasionally pine needles would lodge in the bottom hole in such a way as to redirect the stream of water through the bottom hole away from the tipping mechanism inside and cause the Vantage Pro2 to record zero precipitation when the CoCoRaHS rain gauge caught 0.25 or more inches.
Davis came out with an improved rain bucket in 2014 which has a leaf guard within to mitigate clogs/redirects and bird spikes to reduce droppings. Only on a couple of occasions since I installed that (in August 2014) did a narrow small leaf (from the neighbor's twisted willow tree) make it thru the leaf guard and block the bottom hole. I never again had bird droppings within the bucket.
With the current Vantage Pro2 (installed in July 2016), for the first couple of months the discrepancy appeared to be generally less, and was frequently spot on or even a 0.01" over the CoCoRaHS rain gauge catch. However, over the winter of 2016-2017, I have noticed occasions where the new Vantage Pro2 under-reports by as much as 10%. Over the last couple of years, the Vantage Pro2 has under-reported by about 15%, but occasionally by more than 20%. I do not know why.
There was a potential for some rain shadowing at the original location (i.e. prior to 29 July 2016); but as the CoCoRaHS gauge and Vantage Pro2 instruments were mounted on the same post, it would've affected both equally. The current location is as far from trees and buildings as possible on my property — the elevation angle to the two trees on either side (E/W) is closer to 50° than the ideal max of 45°, but the tops of the houses on either side (N/S) are about 40°.
None of the rain buckets have been heated, so precipitation amounts are unreliable during winter months. The first couple of years I had the Vantage Pro2, I even covered the rain bucket to keep everything out; but then decided some winter information was better than none and have left it uncovered since then. Still, as long as the temperature is below freezing, no precipitation amount will be recorded. Then, when it does warm up, the precipitation amount for that day will include the melted equivalent of whatever fell (and remained) in the bucket since the last time it was above freezing. Less than 4 inches of snow will fit in the rain bucket; and much of that often blows out or sublimates before it melts. Thus, even monthly precipitation amounts reported when frozen precipitation has occurred will usually be less than the melted equivalent of the actual precipitation for that month.
Accuracy of WeatherFlow Tempest haptic rain detector
To be blunt, while the Tempest does a fair job of detecting that rain is falling and the intensity of the rain, it is not very accurate about the amount of rain that has fallen. I have provided data (using my CoCoRaHS rain gauge as "truth") to WeatherFlow for calibration purposes, and the amounts are closer now than they use to be. But sometimes light rain is not detected, and if the sun is shining while it is raining it seems to ignore any rain no matter how intense. The amount of rain reported is often too low for light rain and too high for heavy rain; their calibration scheme seems to be a simple linear (across the board) function, rather than one with different scale factors based on intensity.
Bottom line, you will always get a more accurate picture of the precipitation that falls at my house by reviewing the CoCoRaHS data set.
CoCoRaHS Water Year Summary — 2010-2020 Arlington Park IN-AL-39
These reports, generated by CoCoRaHS, provide summary data as well as every individual observation I reported during their Water Year (01 October through 30 September).
- 2009-2010 Report (partial year, first report 2010-01-12)
- 2010-2011 Report
- 2011-2012 Report
- 2012-2013 Report
- 2013-2014 Report
- 2014-2015 Report
- 2015-2016 Report
- 2016-2017 Report
- 2017-2018 Report
- 2018-2019 Report
- 2019-2020 Report (partial year, last report 2020-08-14)
CoCoRaHS Water Year Summary — 2021-now Timber Ridge IN-AL-99
These reports, generated by CoCoRaHS, provide summary data as well as every individual observation I reported during their Water Year (01 October through 30 September).
- 2020-2021 Report (partial year, first report 2021-06-12)
- 2021-2022 Report (thru today's report)
National Centers for Environmental Information
NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information also maintains a history of the daily precipitation data I've reported through CoCoRaHS: IN-AL-39 Station Details. Unfortunately, they do not capture the multiday reports in any way.
For some reason, that website does not show newer CoCoRaHS stations.
|  IN-AL-99 |
