High Elevation Gardening Web Log "Blog"

Moisture variability and the resulting stories of gardening woes are a favorite topic of conversation for many gardeners. But as rainfall totals are officially recorded at the airport, most of us can only wonder how much rain actually fell on our part of town. Gardeners can now go to a University of Arizona web site www.rainlog.org to find an answer to the question “How much rain did my neighborhood get?”

If you have a rain gauge or are interested in obtaining one, you can join the rainlog project and add your own precipitation measurements to the web site. All one needs to participate is a rain gauge, access to the internet, and a willingness to report daily total rainfall amounts through an online data entry form.

Rainlog is a cooperative rainfall monitoring network for Arizona. It is managed by the university's SAHRA center (Sustainability of semi-Arid Hydrology and Riparian Areas) and collaborates with Cooperative Extension to track rainfall around the state. Data collected will be used for many projects such as watershed management activities and drought planning at local, county, and state levels.

Volunteer rain watchers interested in joining can register at the rainlog.org site. Enter your address and it will be translated into latitude and longitude for a map to pinpoint gauge locations. After a storm, record the moisture total, log on to the Web site and enter your observations. The Rainlog website displays a map that shows precipitation amounts across the region.

The site also has tips on selecting and installing rain gauges and information on how to collect high quality observations. There’s even a FAQ page to help you get started. And you can order a high quality rain gauge from the site for $12.

Not only will you by sharing your measurements with others, the localized precipitation measurements will give your a better idea of how long to irrigate. This is valuable tool for anyone concerned with water conservation. Those not interested in collecting data can still access the map and view precipitation totals.

Winter measurements are harder to make and will take time. Many rain gauges are not designed to measure snow and freezing rain as frozen precipitation can only be recorded after it melts into the gauge. This will result in a delay in or accuracy of the measurement, particularly after a big snow event. To learn how to take accurate moisture readings of snow, go to www.cocorahs.org and click on Snow.

The rainlog site includes data from over 400 rain gauges in Arizona. We currently have four rain loggers in the Flagstaff area.

I just ordered a rain gauge to place at the country extension office. It will be up and collecting moisture as soon as I find a spot to put it that’s not under a tree or overhang. After the next storm, you can see my readings on the site. As more rain monitors join rainlog.org, we will get a better idea of how precipitation levels differ across Northern Arizona.

By Hattie Braun
The author is the Master Gardener Program Coordinator for Coconino Cooperative Extension. For more information about the Master Gardener program, call 774-1868 ext. 17 or visit our website: highelevationgardening.arizona.edu.