thats a funny post because 8 -ish years ago, i had to drive from CO to Arkansas for work (missed my flight). and across kansas, the crosswinds were crazy and rain was crazy. i looked in my passenger floorboard and i had standing water and lots of trash boats floating everywhere. good times...
There is a release. On my 06 they were pretty easy to remove after I figured out which way the release lever had to go. I think I used a small plastic pry bar (think interior trim) to pry the release up.
Glad I saw this thread. Thanks for posting. The cowl on my Arizona '04 Rubicon (third owner) no doubt had never been off. Removed it and cleaned out a 16 year collection of general ephus - leaves, twigs, bird feathers and other stuff I can't and don't want to identify. It rains about once a year for 10 minutes or so and Jeeps don't rust much here but still......
Yeah I figured it out. I was amazed at how little was in the cowl. the hood gasket is kind of a PIA to put back in place, I actually broke it in the middle using a screw driver to pull it out.