Since taking over the Cooperative Program last April, I have visited with approximately 80 percent of you at your home or place of work. I appreciate these face to face meetings, and look forward to our next meeting. I hope to complete my visits with the rest of you before the end of this summer.

We have lots of future plans for the Cooperative Program. With the greater demand for timely and accurate weather and climatological data growing, my ambition is to expand our reporting network this year, continue our expansion until our current goal of 1 observer for every 25 miles is achieved, and to maintain the expanded network’s size and density.

Remote Observation System Automation (ROSA) phones will be increased to cover more and more of our Cooperative Program observing sites. This will result in improved realtime utilization of the data by the National Weather Service’s Forecast Office and Northeast River Forecast Center.

With few exceptions, the instruments you use to gather weather data have not changed significantly during the last century. Many locations are still using glass maximum and minimum thermometers. Subject to budget limitations, I am planning to update field equipment by installing electronic Maximum/Minimum Temperature Sensors (MMTS) in as many locations as possible this year.