The Cooperative
Observer Program is older than the United States, dating
to the pre-Revolutionary War colonies. Farmers like Thomas Jefferson
and George Washington and scientists like Ben Franklin were
always interested in the weather. Many kept detailed daily records
and these records are part of the continuing
study of our weather. This interest in weather followed
settlers into the Tennessee and Cumberland Valleys.
Continuous official
weather records in Nashville date back to the 1870's. Several
other sites in Middle Tennessee can trace their records prior
to 1900: Carthage, Clarksville, Cookeville, Dickson, Dover/Ft.
Donelson, Franklin, Lewisburg, McMinnville, Murfreesboro, Tullahoma,
and Waynesboro.
All
Cooperative Observers keep daily precipitation records. The
same instrument, the Standard or 8" Rain Gage, has been used
for most of the recorded history. This information is used to
determine normal values and set record amounts. (Such information
was very important during the summer of 1999 to determine the
severity of drought conditions and issuance of crop insurance.)
Maps showing seasonal departures and related normals are available
at the Southern Region Climate
Center. There are also 16 sites in Middle Tennessee that
have an automated precipitation gage that records hourly rainfall.
All sites record snowfall.
Most observers also
keep temperatures readings: the 24 hour high and low readings
and the temperature at observation. Most sites are equipped
with an electronic Maximum/Minimum Temperature System that has
replaced thermometers. This instrument is accurate to 0.3o
Fahrenheit.
Four special stations
in Middle Tennessee are very involved in collecting weather
information. Continuing the tradition of Thomas Jefferson and
the early farmers, the University of Tennessee Agricultural
Experiment Stations at Crossville (Plateau), Lewisburg (Dairy),
Neopolis/Spring Hill (Field Crops) and Springfield (Highland
Rim) collect temperature, precipitation, evaporation, wind,
and soil temperatures. This data is used by the U.S. Department
of Agriculture in its weekly crop updates.
Historical records
for all cooperative sites are available at the National
Climatic Data Center in Asheville, North Carolina. They
can be reached by telephone at (828) 271-4800. Daily records
and climatological normals are available in the climate
data section of this website, and at the National
Weather Service Interactive Weather Information Network.
The Cooperative Observer
Program is beginning a modernization program that will see many
new instruments put into the field. The program in Middle Tennessee
has expanded to include at least one site in every county and
an increasing concentration around population centers. A new
system is being implemented that allows observers to input their
data daily into the National Weather Service computer systems.
This allows forecasters to know what is going on across the
region and not just at airports.
Two observers were
honored in middle Tennessee with the John Campanius Holm Award.
This award is given for exemplary participation in the cooperative
observer program. Only 25 awards are given out anually across
the country. Mary King of Dover received the Holm Award in 2000,
and Geraldine Moore Young of Woodbury in 2001.
Cooperative
Weather Observer Stations in Middle Tennessee |
Station |
County |
Year
Established |
Elevation
(ft MSL) |
Allardt |
Fentress |
1949 |
1675 |
Bethpage |
Sumner |
1953 |
560 |
Big Sandy |
Benton |
1997 |
365 |
Brentwood |
Williamson |
1995 |
707 |
Byrdstown |
Pickett |
1998 |
880 |
Camden |
Benton |
1997 |
423 |
Carthage |
Smith |
1883 |
515 |
Celina |
Clay |
1903 |
540 |
Centerville Water
Plant |
Hickman |
1939 |
660 |
Centerville 4 NE |
Hickman |
2000 |
740 |
Cheatham Lock &
Dam |
Cheatham |
1936 |
392 |
Clarksville Sewage
Plant |
Montgomery |
1854 |
382 |
Clarksville Water
Plant |
Montgomery |
1967 |
496 |
Coalmont |
Grundy |
1999 |
1856 |
Columbia |
Maury |
1948 |
650 |
Cookeville |
Putnam |
1884 |
1090 |
Crossville Experiment
Station |
Cumberland |
1912 |
1810 |
Crossville Airport |
Cumberland |
1953 |
1867 |
Dickson |
Dickson |
1884 |
780 |
Dover/Ft. Donelson |
Stewart |
1892 |
475 |
Dover |
Stewart |
1965 |
400 |
Eagleville |
Rutherford |
1999 |
1025 |
Edgar Evins Marina |
De
Kalb |
1974 |
642 |
Fairview Bowie
Nature Center |
Williamson |
2001 |
820 |
Fall Creek Falls
State Park |
Van
Buren |
1999 |
1790 |
Forrest Hills (Dyer
Observatory) |
Davidson |
2001 |
1130 |
Franklin Sewage
Plant |
Williamson |
1879 |
655 |
Gainesboro |
Jackson |
1975 |
487 |
Hartsville |
Trousdale |
1998 |
511 |
Hohenwald |
Lewis |
1998 |
980 |
Jamestown |
Fentress |
1951 |
1690 |
Joelton |
Davidson |
1999 |
820 |
Kingston Springs |
Cheatham |
1941 |
517 |
Lafayette |
Macon |
1954 |
975 |
Lawrenceburg |
Lawrence |
1954 |
870 |
Lebanon 3 W |
Wilson |
1909 |
535 |
Lebanon 7 N |
Wilson |
1956 |
510 |
Lewisburg |
Marshall |
1888 |
787 |
Linden |
Perry |
1962 |
498 |
Livingston |
Overton |
1961 |
975 |
Lobelville |
Perry |
1997 |
445 |
McMinnville |
Warren |
1883 |
940 |
Manchester |
Coffee |
2000 |
1070 |
Monterey |
Putnam |
1904 |
1860 |
Mt. Pleasent |
Maury |
1953 |
778 |
Murfreesboro |
Rutherford |
1882 |
550 |
Nashville Berry
Field |
Davidson |
1937 |
580 |
Neapolis (Spring
Hill) |
Maury |
1975 |
700 |
North Springs |
Jackson |
1957 |
570 |
Old Hickory Lock
& Dam |
Davidson |
1954 |
460 |
Old Hickory NWS |
Wilson |
1974 |
590 |
Pickett State Park |
Pickett |
1999 |
1625 |
Portland |
Sumner |
1952 |
794 |
Port Royal |
Montgomery |
1961 |
447 |
Pulaski |
Giles |
1957 |
634 |
Rock Island |
Warren |
1904 |
870 |
Shelbyville |
Bedford |
1951 |
760 |
Smithville |
De
Kalb |
1971 |
890 |
Smyrna |
Rutherford |
1941 |
550 |
Sparta |
White |
1940 |
1020 |
Springfield |
Robertson |
1938 |
745 |
Tennessee Ridge |
Houston |
1999 |
722 |
Thompson Station |
Williamson |
2001 |
760 |
Tullahoma |
Coffee |
1883 |
1022 |
Vanleer |
Dickson |
2000 |
645 |
Warner Park Nature
Center |
Davidson |
2000 |
625 |
Wartrace |
Coffee |
2001 |
1014 |
Watertown |
Wilson |
2001 |
630 |
Waverly |
Humphreys |
2000 |
749 |
Waynesboro |
Wayne |
1884 |
750 |
White House |
Sumner |
2001 |
820 |
Woodbury |
Cannon |
1954 |
750 |