Cooperative Weather Observers
NWS Bismarck Coop 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
Randy Wagner   HOLM
Lawrence Joos   55 years
Ellsworth "Tom" Evensvold   45 years
Lois Lubiens Special Service Family   50 years
Minnkota Power Cooperative
   25 years
Lawrence Renner   25 years
Richard R. Lau   20 years
Caroline E. Dallmann   20 years
John A. Heiser   20 years
Bruce Wentz   15 years
Mary M. Harding   15 years
Kevin Aarestad   10 years
Harold Greek   10 years
Jarle P. Kvale   10 years
  • NOAA's National Weather Service
  • Bismarck, ND Weather Forecast Office
  • 2301 University Drive, Building 27
  • Bismarck, ND 58504
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  • Page Author: BIS Webmaster
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  • Page last modified: 9-Feb-2006 4:02 PM UTC
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