Webinar #93 - June 2025

What is a ‘100-year rainstorm’? And how many CoCoRaHS volunteers have observed one?

Russ Schumacher
Colorado Climate Center/CoCoRaHS
Colorado State Univ.
Fort Collins, CO

You might have heard in the media about a “100-year” (or even a “1000-year”) rainstorm. Although these concepts are backed by statistics and can be quite useful, they are also very prone to misunderstanding and confusion. In this presentation, we’ll explore what a “100-year storm” means (and doesn’t mean), and how to interpret these estimates. We’ll also look through the CoCoRaHS database to highlight instances where CoCoRaHS volunteers observed storms this extreme, and how those observations have helped advance the scientific understanding of heavy precipitation.

View the Webinar on YouTube by clicking here
View Russ's presentation slides   


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