NWS Cooperative Observer Program

The National Weather Service Cooperative Observer Program is a weather and climate observation network involving more than 11,000 volunteers across the country. The Cooperative Observer Program was created in 1890 and has a two-fold mission: a) to provide observational meteorological data, usually consisting of daily maximum and minimum temperatures, snowfall, and 24-hour precipitation totals, required to define the climate of the United States and to help measure long-term climate changes and b) to provide observational meteorological data in near real-time to support forecast, warning and other public service programs of the NWS.