The National Weather Service is actively recruiting islanders to join its “Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network.”

This is a system of volunteers equipped with precipitation gauges who report rain or snow amounts via an online system directly to the National Weather Service. There is a small initial cost ($23) for the purchase of the gauge, but for those who are interested in local weather, this is a unique opportunity to directly assist Pacific Northwest climatologists.

For more information, go to www.wrh.noaa.gov/sew/cocorahs.php. Or contact Jeff Michalski at Jeff.Michalski@noaa.gov.