Water Spotters

Rain, weather, and change

How is Colorado's water cycle changing? Will these changes affect energy balances between the soil, air, farm and grassland? Water Spotters is a network of middle school students who observe rain, snow, and weather along Colorado's northern Front Range. Data collected by participating schools contribute to a regional study of Earth's water and energy cycles led by the University of Colorado and based at NOAA's tall tower atmospheric observatory in Erie.

Become involved!

If your class or after school group would like to join the Water Spotters team and help collect and analyze precipitation and weather data, send us an email. Participiating schools will be provided all necessary equipment, free of cost, and standards-based curricular materials on climate, water, and energy topics. Data collection involves collecting rainwater once a month, and some schools may be asked to host an autonomous weather station. Project collaborators include the St. Vrain Valley MESA program and CIRES Outreach. Quick link: project factsheet.

Featured dataset:

As observations get under way, you'll find featured data sets here that you can explore with your class or on your own.