Aerial view of clouds over the United States

Citizen Science Weather Tracking Project Celebrates Record Breaking Winter 

By | May 11, 2026 | Featured projects, Elyse DeFranco

Mountain weather is famously unpredictable, with storms rolling in at a moment’s notice and one part of a mountain experiencing sleet while others nearby get rain or snow. Even small changes in elevation can impact the type of precipitation received from the same storm. Scientists are learning more about how winter storms change across time and space thanks to Mountain Rain or Snow, a NASA-funded partnership between DRI, UNR, Lynker, and thousands of community members across the country.  

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A barn in a wooded area with pine trees with snow falling and on the ground.

Blurring the Line Between Rain and Snow: The Limits of Meteorological Classification

By | Mar 31, 2025 | Research findings, Elyse DeFranco

A new study published in Nature Communications utilizes insights gleaned from DRI’s Mountain Rain or Snow project to evaluate why traditional weather forecasting struggles to identify the rain/snow transition line. The research was possible because thousands of community members across the U.S. contributed more than 40 thousand observations of the type of precipitation falling at their location.

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