Introducing Our New Local Precipitation Page & The Start of Water Year 2027

The Pinewood Lake Wildfire Action Group (PLWAG) is excited to announce our brand-new Precipitation Page!

This new resource features live tracking from a local monitoring station (Station CO-LR-1322) through CoCoRaHS (the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network), giving everyone in our community an easy way to check current month-to-date and year-to-date precipitation totals right here at Pinewood Lake.

A Brief History of CoCoRaHS

Where did this incredible network come from? CoCoRaHS has roots deeply connected to Colorado. It was born out of tragedy following a devastating flash flood in Fort Collins, Colorado, in July 1997. During that storm, a localized downpour dropped up to 14 inches of rain in a matter of hours, while parts of the same city received barely a drop.

Realizing that traditional, widely spaced weather stations could easily miss severe localized weather events, the Colorado Climate Center at Colorado State University launched CoCoRaHS in 1998 to bridge the gap. What started as a small local pilot project has since grown into a massive, nationwide (and international) community science network involving thousands of volunteers of all ages and backgrounds. Today, their daily data is relied upon by meteorologists, hydrologists, farmers, emergency managers, and researchers across North America.

Our Neighborhood Totals

We know this past year to date has been dry, but how dry? To understand that it helps to look at what our local station has recorded over the past couple of years:

• Calendar Year Totals:

  
  

  • 2025: 18.27″ total precipitation

    
    

  • 2026 (Year-to-Date): 10.55″

    
    

• Water Year Totals:

  
  

  • Water Year 2025: 18.58″

    
    

  • Water Year 2026 (Ending September 2026): 12.11″

    
    

Welcome to Water Year 2027!

October 1 kicks off a brand-new Water Year.

If you received the latest update from CoCoRaHS HQ, you know why this date is a big deal, especially for those of us living in the western United States. While the standard calendar year starts on January 1, hydrologists and water managers track precipitation using a 12-month cycle that runs from October 1 through September 30.

Why start the water year in autumn? October 1 arrives at a crucial natural transition point in our annual water cycle:

• The melt is complete: By the end of September, the previous winter’s snowpack has melted off.

• Summer transitions: Summer rains and monsoonal moisture have largely run their course.

• The reset: We stand right at the threshold of winter, preparing to begin accumulating the snow and rain that will eventually feed our streams, reservoirs, and water supply for the coming year.

  
  

As CoCoRaHS put it, today we officially turn the page and dive headfirst into Water Year 2027!

Check Out the New Page

To celebrate the start of the new water year and keep our neighborhood dialed into local conditions, take a moment to explore our new data feed.

• 🌧️ Visit the page: PLWAG Precipitation Page

  
  

• 📊 What you’ll see: Up-to-date monthly and yearly precipitation tracking directly from our local neighborhood CoCoRaHS station.

  
  

Every drop counts, whether it's rain, snow, or zeroed-out dry days, and it all helps paint a clearer picture of our local environment as we kick off Water Year 2027 together!