National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Active Weather for the West, Warming in the East

The potential for heavy snow at higher elevations in the western U.S. will continue for many spots through the weekend. In the meantime, the eastern half of the continental U.S. will transition to above normal temperatures ahead of a pair of cold fronts next week that will bring readings back to closer to normal as we approach Thanksgiving Day. Read More >

Cooperative Weather Observers (CO-OP)
 

NWS Bismarck CO-OP Awards

About 11,700 volunteer Cooperative Weather Observers across the country record daily temperature and precipitation data for the National Weather Service. Some also record 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. NWS Bismarck works with about 160 observers in western and central North Dakota. Many Cooperative Stations in the United States have been collecting weather data from the same location for over 100 years.

Data collected from cooperative observers is used to help contractors design heating and air conditioning for buildings, and tell road builders bidding for highway contracts how many days they should allow for rain, snow or freezing conditions. They help farmers estimate when to plant and harvest, and aid geneticists in developing hardier crop strains. Insurance companies plug the weather data into actuarial tables for crop insurance. Attorneys seek information on road conditions for clients who are suing or being sued over traffic accidents. Government summaries of data collected from their decades of  regularized observations have proved invaluable to the development of American commerce and life styles.

Check back in the future to see what awards have been given to some of the cooperative observers across the Western two-thirds of North Dakota.

To find out more about the CO-OP program:

The National Weather Service office in Bismarck would like to recognize the  achievements of our coop observers.  
Award Recipient   Type of Award
Donald Olson   40 years
Wayne E. Lang   40 years
James Janskey   35 years
Arlene Bernhardt   35 years
Paul and Ann Nyren   30 years
Harvey Schmitz   30 years
Donald Lessman   25 years
Joseph Muller   25 years
Randy Wagner   25 years
Dick Fischer   20 years
Vernon Erickson   20 years
Bruce Wentz   20 years

Clayton Carr
  15 years
 
Louise Kraft
 
15 years
Dennis Hafner   10 years