By SALINA POST
The National Weather Service is looking for people willing to be Cooperative Weather Observers at several locations, including Barnard and Peabody.
COOP observers, as they are commonly known, are comprised of more than 11,000 volunteers from across the United States "record the daily weather-related information that forms the backbone of our nation's climatological data collection network. Weather observers across the country record daily temperatures and precipitation data. Some also record or report additional information such as soil temperature, evaporation and wind movement, agricultural data, water equivalent of snow on the ground, river stages, lake levels, atmospheric phenomena and road hazards," according to information from the National Weather Service in Wichita.
Some stations have been collecting weather data from the same location for more than 100 years.
In the warning area for the National Weather Service Office in Wichita, which includes the Salina vicinity, there are approximately 150 cooperative stations.
Coop observers are made up of people from nearly every walk of life, the weather service noted.
Currently, the Wichita office is looking for COOP observers at the following locations.
Barnard in Lincoln County
Claflin in Barton County
Peabody in Marion County
Potwin in Butler County
Russell in Russell County
Equipment used by the COOP observers is provided and maintained by the National Weather Service. Data forms are sent monthly to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) in Asheville, N.C., where the data is digitized, quality controlled, and archived, according to the weather service.
"This data is invaluable in learning more about floods, droughts and heat and cold waves, which inevitably affect everyone. They are used in agricultural planning and assessments, engineering, environmental-impact assessments, utilities planning and litigation. The data plays a critical role in efforts to recognize and evaluate the extent of human impacts on climate from local and global scales," the weather service noted.
Many COOP observers also report daily precipitation measurements and temperatures through a weather program on a home computer or programmable phone.
"Reports from Cooperative Observers are extremely important to River Forecast Centers in support of the National Weather Service Hydrology Program. The reports are important to the local National Weather Service Forecast Office for the issuance of forecasts, watches, warnings, and advisories. The Cooperative Observers serve a vital role in the National Weather Service's mission to protect life and property," the weather service noted.
People interested in being COOP observers should click here to read more about the COOP observer program or access an expression of interest form.