What is the job of a CO-OP observer?

Being a NWS Cooperative observer can be a demanding job. To provide accurate and complete weather data, observations are required seven days a week 365 days a year. This does not mean that someone has to be monitoring the "weather" all the time; instruments are provided to monitor temperature and precipitation. Yet someone should be available to record the daily maximum and minimum temperature, the precipitation, and snowfall. This generally is done around 7am.

This information is recorded on the internet through a computer or phone menu system and monitored daily by the local NWS office for quality assurance before forwarding to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) in Asheville, North Carolina.

Back to the Cooperative Observer Program Page