“I didn’t sign up to try to measure a new record or anything,” said Matt Carnicle, a volunteer with the NASA-backed Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS). On June 18th, 2026, he recorded 29.06 inches of rainfall—a figure that shattered Louisiana’s 24-hour state record of 22.00 inches, originally set in 1962. ‘I’m just a regular guy who likes to track the weather, and I report what I get in my gauge whether it’s zero, two hundredths, or whatever is in there when I read it,’ he added.
CoCoRaHS (pronounced KO-ko-rozz) is a nationwide network of volunteer weather observers who measure precipitation in their backyards using standardized tools. Their daily reports, publicly accessible on the CoCoRaHS website, support scientific research and public safety by enhancing weather forecasts, informing water and land management, and triggering critical flood and severe weather warnings.
Matt joined CoCoRaHS through a storm-spotter workshop, where he learned the system’s role in NASA’s hail research focusing on the Gulf States. The project relies on reports and photos of hail to study how hailstones melt as they fall from clouds to the ground. To participate, Matt acquired a National Weather Service-approved rain gauge, ensuring measurement precision to the nearest 100th of an inch.
The 29.06-inch rainfall Matt documented occurred in under 12 hours, surpassing the previous 1962 record by over seven inches. Louisiana State Climatologist Jay Grymes and National Weather Service officials validated the measurement, which represents an event so rare it is expected less than once in a millennium. A NOAA committee will review the data to officially recognize the new record, which stands as the highest 24-hour rainfall total in Louisiana’s history and ranks among the top in U.S. records held by Hawaii at 49.69 inches.
CoCoRaHS welcomes volunteers to contribute measurements and hail reports, particularly in the southeastern U.S., where researchers collaborate with NASA on atmospheric studies. Participation requires using a standardized manual gauge, as automated devices are not accepted. Interested individuals can register to join the network and potentially document significant weather events.
