A C172 PLT ENCOUNTERED UNFORECAST SEVERE TURB; DECLARED AN EMER AND DIVERTED TO ANOTHER ARPT.

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I HAD PLANNED A FLT FROM ZZZ1 TO ZZZ2; THEN ZZZ2 TO ZZZ3; THEN BACK INTO ZZZ1. THERE WAS A FRONT COMING (THAT HAD BEEN IN PLACE FOR A WHILE) THAT WAS FORECAST TO DEVELOP RAIN SHOWERS THROUGHOUT THE AREA; WITH SOME OCCASIONAL MODERATE TURB. I HAD FLOWN IN IT THE NIGHT BEFORE WITH MY INSTRUCTOR; IFR; FOR SOME ADDITIONAL TRAINING; SO I WAS FAMILIAR WITH ITS CHARACTERISTICS. (PRETTY MUCH; IT WAS AS FORECAST; A FEW STRONG LIGHT BUMPS BUT NOTHING MORE.) THE FLT TO ZZZ2 WAS UNEVENTFUL. UPON LNDG; I RECEIVED AN ADDITIONAL WX BRIEFING FROM AN FSS SPECIALIST. WAS TOLD THAT CONDITIONS PRETTY MUCH WERE UNCHANGED. I LEFT ZZZ2 WITH FULL TANKS; FOR ZZZ3. THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL UNTIL THE ACFT ENCOUNTERED SEVERE TURB. I IMMEDIATELY TOLD APCH THAT I HAD ENCOUNTERED SEVERE TURB AND REQUESTED A BLOCK ALT. I TRIED TO COMPLY BUT WAS UNABLE TO HOLD. I NOTIFIED APCH AND BEGAN REQUESTING FIXES/VECTORS TOWARDS LAND; WHICH THEY COMPLIED WITH. I DECLARED AN EMER. I WAS HIT BY MORE TURB; AND WAS GIVEN A VECTOR TO A SMALL ARPT. THE WX; WORSE THAN FORECAST; MEANT I COULD NOT SEE IT. DUE TO RISING TERRAIN; I KNEW I NEEDED TO CLB. (ATC HAD LOST RADAR CONTACT.) THEY COLD NOT HEAR ME; BUT I COULD HEAR THEM. I FOUND A BREAK IN CLOUDS WHERE I COULD SEE THE MOUNTAINS; AND STARTED A SLOW; CLBING TURN. THEY ASKED ME TO SQUAWK 7700. RADAR CONTACT WAS RESTORED AND THEY ASKED ME TO CLB TO 4000 FT. FIGHTING TO MAINTAIN 4000 FT AND THE HDG; I MADE IT OVER TO ZZZ4; WHERE I ENCOUNTERED MORE LOW LEVEL TURB. I WAS VECTORED TO A VISUAL FOR RWY 30. I SUCCESSFULLY LANDED; AND WAS HAPPY I LIVED TO WRITE THIS. THE ARPT MGR GAVE ME A NUMBER TO CALL APCH. I EXPLAINED TO THEM WHAT HAPPENED. THEY SPOKE WITH ME -- WE HAD A CORDIAL CONVERSATION -- AND THEY SAID AIRLINES WERE REJECTING TKOFS DUE TO WX! I CAN BELIEVE THIS; AS PEOPLE ABOVE ME ENRTE (AIRLINERS TRYING TO RELAY MY BROKEN COMS TO ATC) WERE REFUSING LOWER BECAUSE OF MY PROBS. IN TERMS OF LESSONS LEARNED; THE RTE I WAS CLRED TO WAS MORE WESTERLY. I SHOULD HAVE REJECTED IT. WHILE I DON'T KNOW IF IT WOULD HAVE CHANGED THE OUTCOME (A PLT AT THE ZZZ4 ARPT TOLD ME THAT HE HAD JUST LANDED AND HAD THE SAME EXPERIENCE -- UNFORECAST SEVERE LOW LEVEL TURB); IT WOULD HAVE GOT ME 'OVER THE RIDGE' FASTER. SECOND; AIRLINERS REJECTING TKOFS DUE TO WX NEED TO BE RPTED. I WOULD HAVE NEVER DEPARTED HAD I KNOWN THIS. THIRD; SPECI OBSERVATIONS NEED PROMPT RPTING. MY BRIEFER NEVER TOLD ME ANYTHING THAT WOULD HAVE SUGGESTED THIS WX; AND HAD PROPER WX RPTING BEEN AVAILABLE FOR ZZZ5; THIS FLT WOULD HAVE BEEN SCRUBBED. EVEN ZZZ4 HAD 180 DEG CHANGES IN WIND DIRECTION. AS FAR AS I KNOW; NO SPECI WAS ISSUED. FINALLY; I HAD BEEN TOLD LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN IS NO BIG DEAL. NEVER AGAIN. ANYTHING MORE THAN LIGHT; I WON'T FLY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT AFTER DECLARING AN EMER AND REQUESTING VECTORS; ATC ATTEMPTED TO VECTOR HIM TO A SMALL 2000 FT FIELD WHICH HE COULD NOT LOCATE VISUALLY BOTH BECAUSE OF THE TURB AND THE CLOUD COVER. THE RPTR'S SOLE EFFORT AT THAT POINT WAS TO KEEP THE ACFT UPRIGHT. HE WAS SOLO AT THE TIME.