West Virginians with a passion for weather are needed to help monitor rain, hail and snow in the Mountain State.

West Virginia will join 42 other states on May 1 as part of the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network.

The 12-year-old network has about 13,000 volunteers nationwide who help the National Weather Service keep track of weather patterns in their local areas.

Marshall University assistant meteorology professor Kevin Law said the program is a good match for West Virginia because of the state's diverse rainfall patterns and sparse observation points.

Law said snowfall observations will be particularly useful and will help the weather service forecast snowfall amounts in mountainous counties.