The cooperative program at NWS Lake Charles is responsible for an average of 70 precipitation/temperature observing sites, six of which are Fischer-Porter sites and an additional 17 river gaging sites across Southwest Louisiana and Southeast Texas.

The Lake Charles cooperative program area covers 17 parishes in Louisiana and 6 counties in East Texas. This area is broken down into 3 districts denoted as LCH1, LCH2, and LCH3. An HMT is assigned to each area and is responsible for:

1. Recruiting new observers for that area.

2. Training of observers.

3. Station visits and maintenance. Visits are conducted annually at all sites. Fischer-Porter site visitations are conducted biannually.

4. Upkeep of B-44s which provide a complete and permanent record for a station.

5. Quality control of the observation forms B-91/92s.

6. Quality control of Fischer-Porter tapes and a compilation of hourly rainfall amounts for each tape.

7. Relocation of stations.

The DAPM/HMT staff ensures that all reports, which include the B91/92s and the Fischer-Porter tapes, are received and the compiled data sent to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) and the Southern Regional Climate Center at LSU prior to the 15th of each month.