Rainfall Data

Lovely weather we're having, isn't it? We got 0.21 inch of rain at our house yesterday. How much did you get? You don't have a rain gauge? Maybe you'll consider getting one now. It's fun to be involved with our fabulous climate, and you can even be a citizen scientist.

SAHRA (Sustainability of semi-Arid Hydrology) collects and reports rainfall data at 1,300 sites in Arizona, with 373 in Tucson alone. You can be a passive or active participant. You can sign up to receive a map by e-mail showing the amount of precipitation that fell the previous day at various places around the city, with your home location highlighted. You can also report your rainfall data.

It's fascinating to see how widely the rainfall varies from one neighborhood to another. Of course, you already know about that if you've ever had the experience of talking on the phone to a fellow Tucsonan, and marveling at the intensity of the rain, only to have your skeptical friend tell you it's not raining at all at his house.