Looking for Weather Observer in Ripon area

The National Weather Service (NWS) is seeking a dedicated volunteer or volunteers in the Ripon, WI area to join the NWS CO-OPERATIVE weather observer program. Equipment and training is provided for this everyday volunteer duty. An institution is preferred where multiple employees are involved in making the measurements of rain and snow...and possibly temperature. A computer with internet is needed to transmit the daily reports to NWS.

What do they do?

The volunteer observers take temperature and precipitation measurements on a daily basis, using equipment supplied and maintained by the National Weather Service. They then send the data in, either daily or monthly, to their local weather service office where it used and/or transmitted to other government agencies and media outlets.

At month's end, all the data is sent to the National Center for Environmental Information (NCEI) where is it quality-controlled and then archived.

Who uses the information?

Climatologists and researchers are probably the biggest users of the information. The data that is compiled from the observers provide an invaluable data set that can lead to better understanding of droughts, floods, heat waves, and cold snaps.

Historical weather averages and normals for all areas of the country are determined using observer data. Observer data help settle billions of dollars annually in insurance and legal claims, determine federal disaster declarations for federal aid to local counties and are a major factor in determining household energy costs. These data play a critical role in efforts to determine and evaluate the extent of climate change from local to global scales. In addition, data collected by weather observers help local officials make long-term planning decisions about water resources and are used by a variety of industries on a daily basis, including medical, transportation, agriculture, engineering and communication.

For more information go to: www.nws.noaa.gov/om/coop/become.htm or www.weather.gov/mkx/coop

Contact Data Acquistion Program Manager - Rudy Schaar at NWS-Milwaukee/Sullivan, WI: 262-965-5062 ext. 327 or Rudy.Schaar@noaa.gov for more information.

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