The National Weather Service's COOP is truly the nation's weather and climate observing network of, by and for the people. Thanks to its dedicated legion of volunteers, many decades of relatively stable operation, and high station densities in many rural locations, the Cooperative Network has been recognized both as the most comprehensive daily source of U.S. temperature and precipitation data and for establishing an invaluable climate record. NOAA scientists regularly use COOP data to study trends, and better predict climate conditions in the future. One climate condition of particular interest is the El Niño, a disruption of the ocean-atmosphere system in the Tropical Pacific that has important consequences for weather and climate around the globe. Thanks in part to COOP's climate records, NOAA forecasters were able to make early predictions regarding the strength of the 1997-8 El Niño. The accurate long-range predictions issued by the NWS's Climate Prediction Center helped communities prepare for this event and mitigate its impacts. Experts say that in California, this valuable information may have helped reduce losses by approximately $1 billion.
The network of 11,000 volunteer weather observers are located at non-airport locations where people live, work, play and grow their food (i.e., locations include urban, suburban and rural areas, farms, mountaintops, national, state, and local park settings). Automatic observing stations are considered cooperative stations if their observed data are used for services which otherwise would be provided by cooperative observers. For example, a cooperative station may be collocated with other types of observing stations, such standard observations stations, flight service stations, etc., however, that portion of the station observing program supporting the cooperative program's mission is treated and documented independently of the other observational and service programs.
The COOP network, together with about 1,000 Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) airport stations, forms the federal government surface weather and climate observing network for the United States.
How Can I Become a Cooperative Weather Observer?
An NWS Cooperative observer volunteer should have the following characteristics: dedication to public service, attention to detail, ability to learn and perform daily duties, and a willingness to allow NWS to place measuring instruments on their property. It is also helpful—but not mandatory—for volunteers to own (and know how to use) a personal computer with modem to establish Internet access. If you are selected to become an official NWS Cooperative station, NWS will provide you with the training, supervision, materials and instrumentation necessary to perform your duties. Depending on your station's instrumentation, your site will be visited by a NWS representative once or twice every 12 months—more if unscheduled maintenance or training updates are required. Generally, volunteer observers receive no pay, however, exceptions are made under special circumstances. If you are interested in becoming an NWS Cooperative observer, or have questions about the program, please contact the NWS representative in the WFO supervising your location.
NWS and NCDC are currently assessing strategies for COOP modernization through the development of a low cost, standardized climate/weather observing system capable of supporting federal multi-agency requirements, the needs of NOAA and all other climate /weather data users. The primary goals of the modernization effort include: standardization of observational techniques and improved compatibility of interagency data benefitting the nation's economy in the long term, improved drought & climate monitoring, snowfall monitoring, flood forecast accuracy, local temperature forecasts, and increased data availability.
Relevant Web Sites
COOP's Recent Observations and Climate Data
NWS's Climate Prediction Center
NOAA's National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Services's NCDC
NOAA's Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS)
Media Contact:
July 3, 2002 — NOAA's Cooperative Weather Observer Network is the nation's largest and oldest weather network. It was established under the Organic Act of 1890 to formalize the collection of meteorological observations and establish/record climate conditions in the United States—primarily for agricultural purposes. Many people recorded weather observations long before that time. John Campanius Holm's 1644-45 weather records, for example, are the earliest known climate records in the United States. Subsequently, many others—including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin—also maintained weather records. Today, more than 11,000 Cooperative Weather Observers across the United States donate more than one million hours each year to collect daily hydrometeorological data.
How does the COOP work?
Program operations—including training, data acquisition, and station management—are managed by the NWS. Data processing, including quality control, archiving, and publication, are managed by NOAA's National Climatic Data Center. Participants receive a set of simple weather instruments and observing instructions by the NWS. Equipment used at NWS cooperative stations may be owned by the NWS, the observer or by a company or other government agency, as long as it meets NWS equipment standards (with only a few exceptions, the instruments used by cooperative observers have not changed significantly over the past century). Of the more than 11,000 COOP stations, nearly 5,000 are climate stations (1,200 are Historical Climate Network sites), while more than 6,000 cooperative stations support hydrology requirements. Climate stations report 24-hour maximum and minimum temperatures, liquid equivalent of precipitation, snowfall, snow depth and other special phenomena such as days with thunder, hail, etc. Hydrologic stations, on the other hand, report liquid equivalent of precipitation and may also observe river water level heights, 24-hour maximum and minimum temperature, snowfall, snow depth, evaporation and other parameters. Observations are sent as monthly reports to the NCDC in Asheville, N.C.—or an NWS forecast office—where data are digitized, checked and archived (i.e., about 5,800 COOP stations have their monthly summaries published by NOAA's NCDC. Several thousand observers also report 24-hour summaries of observations to the NWS on a daily basis). Data is transmitted through telephone, computer or mail. Note that preliminary daily observations of maximum and minimum temperature, precipitation, including snowfall, and snow depth for a select number of stations can be obtained via the Web at individual NWS forecast office home pages or the NWS COOP home page.
NWS weather forecast offices staff at 122 locations nationwide recruit cooperative observers, however station locations are not selected by NWS regional or national headquarters. Instead, COOP stations are selected as a function of need. The original distribution of cooperative stations in the network was governed by a 1953 Iowa State University study, which determined that a spacing of about one station every 25 miles (one per 625 square miles) was sufficient to adequately define the climate of the United States in areas of homogeneous terrain. In 2002, the National Climatic Data Center developed an updated spatial density data base utilizing Geographical Information Systems technology based on the following the NWS requirements: 1) two sites per forecast zone to support forecast, warning and verification products and services; 2) one site within a 20 by 20 mile zone grid to resolve temperature variability for a five degree climate resolution; 3) one site within a 60 by 60 mile grid to support drought monitoring requirements including soil moisture, soil temperature, evaporation and relative humidity; and 4) improve WSR-88D radar rainfall bias corrections up to 60 percent. However, greater densities are allowed in areas with large differences in elevation, urban heat islands, steep land-sea-lake interfaces, etc. Because the network is more than 110 years old, many areas already have the necessary number of stations operating, however, about 200 observers resign each year (i.e., about four per state). Furthermore, changing requirements can expand the need for observers.
COOP Modernization
Recently, the NWS proposed a multi-year initiative to expand the existing program and upgrade the equipment the volunteers use to monitor precipitation and other weather data. This modernization effort is justified based the following:
The NWS proposes to modernize the COOP in two phases. Phase I focuses on replacement of obsolete equipment and determining optimum network size and distribution, and Phase II addresses the modernization of the network. Upon completion, the COOP modernization will:
Better risk and water/drought management and economic decisions made by industry, government, and private citizens are other substantial benefits derived from a modernized COOP network.
COOP MODERNIZATION UPDATE
NWS Cooperative Observer Program