Cooperative Observer Program
The cooperative observation site at Hanceville, in
Cullman County. The temperature shelter, called a "Cotton Region"
shelter, is at left, while a Fisher-Porter rain gauge is at far right.
What is the Cooperative
Observer Program?
The Cooperative Observer Program (commonly called the "COOP"
program) forms the backbone of temperature and precipitation (including
snowfall) observations describing the United States climate. Approximately
11,400 volunteer weather observers across the nation, from private
individuals to local agencies, provide this very important information.
In addition to the volunteer observers, the network is supplemented
by approximately 1000 Automated Surface Observing Systems (ASOS)
which form the federal government surface weather and climate
observing network for the United States.
Where are the COOP sites
in the Huntsville area?
There are 24 cooperative observer sites in the current WFO Huntsville
area of responsibility (click here
for a map and list of sites). There is a long history of records
keeping in the area. Valley Head, in Dekalb County, is the earliest
COOP site in the area, having been established on June 1, 1885.
The Huntsville office is also committed to expanding the program.
Owens Crossroads (Madison County), Anderson (Lauderdale County),
and Collinsville (DeKalb County) have all been added since the
office began operation in January 2003.
Several long-time COOP observers have received awards for their
service, and in fact, three of them have received the most prestigious
award for COOP observers. Mr. Kelly of Moulton (Lawrence County)
received the Thomas Jefferson
award in 2003, while Mr. McCravy of Hanceville (Cullman County)
and Mr. Crow of Valley Head (DeKalb County) received
the Jefferson Award in 2004.
What else can you tell
me about the COOP program?
Founding fathers such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin,
and Thomas Jefferson all kept daily weather records. They were
the forerunners of the modern COOP program.
Today, data from COOP sites have evolved into a source of extremely
useful climatological information. Data from the network has been
used in applications concerning climate change and variability,
water management, drought assessment, environmental impact assessment,
litigation, engineering and architectural design, energy consumption
studies and models, and crop yield forecasts. Recently, high value
applications of the data for use in energy industry and the Weather
Risk Management Industry have evolved. Many of these applications
require both historical climate data and timely access to current
observations.
More information is available at the national
NWS COOP website.
How do I get past data
from the COOP observers?
Historical records for all cooperative observer sites are available
at the National Climatic Data
Center in Asheville, North Carolina. This office may also
be contacted by telephone at 828-271-4800.
Can I become a part of
the COOP program?
While not officially a part of the COOP program, the NWS in
Huntsville does have a Backyard Observation Program that provides
valuable information to forecasters here in Huntsville and across
the region. You can also join the CoCoRAHS (Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow) Network to report precipitation.
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