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 a form which is mailed monthly to the local NWS office for quality assurance before forwarding to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) in Asheville, North Carolina. There is also a secondary level of cooperative observer, the unofficial coop. No less important that the official coop sites, unofficial coop observers provide valuable information on precipitation to the NWS. The only real difference between official and unofficial coops is the unofficial coops data are not archived on a national level. Unofficial coops typically receive just a plastic 4 inch rain gage.

Where there is a need for Co-Op Observers ?

Back to the Cooperative Observer Program Page