NWSM 10-1315 October 9, 2017
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Department of Commerce • National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration • National Weather Service NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MANUAL 10-1315 October 9, 2017 Operations and Services Surface Observing Program (Land), NDSPD 10-13 Cooperative Station Observations and Maintenance NOTICE: This publication is available at: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/directives/. OPR: W/OBS31 (T. Trunk) Certified by: W/OBS3 (M. B. Miller) Type of Issuance: Routine SUMMARY OF REVISIONS: This directive supersedes NWSM, Cooperative Station Observations and Maintenance, dated, April 7, 2014. Changes made reflect the NWS Headquarters reorganization effective April 1, 2015. Additional changes listed below were for clarification and digital access. 1. Replaced the term WS Form B-44, with the term ‘Station Profile’ in three locations to reflect the terminology of the Station Information System (SIS). 2. Replaced the term ‘CSSA’ with ‘SIS’ (Station Information System) for the name of the operational metadata system implemented in November 2014 for the NWS Cooperative Observer Program. Affected one page, only, page A-46. 3. Revised the URL links for updates to the FPR-D Operations Manual, and the FPR-E Operations Manual. Affected pages A-9, A-10, A-11, and A-13. 4. Separated the instructions for the initialization of Nimbus units from the MMTS units in Appendix A, Section 2.42, page A-28. 5. Removed reference of ‘MMTS-7’ in Appendix B, Section 3.1, page B-26, because this model gets replaced upon failure, and the percentage of sites that use MMTS-7 is now very small. 6. Inserted link for the SKYWARN Weather Spotter Program (NWSI 10-1807) in Appendix B, Section 7.9, page B-71. 7. Added the term ‘derecho’ and clarified the definition of ‘frost’ in Appendix B, in Section 7.4 and Section 7.5.2.e, respectively. Signed September 25, 2017 Joseph Pica Date Director, Office of Observations NWSM 10-1315 October 9, 2017 Cooperation Station Observations and Maintenance Table of Contents Page 1. Purpose ...................................................................................................................................... 3 2. Definition of a Cooperative Station .......................................................................................... 3 3. Reporting Elements ................................................................................................................... 3 3.1 Precipitation ...................................................................................................................... 3 3.2 Air Temperature ................................................................................................................ 3 3.3 Snow Observations ........................................................................................................... 4 3.4 Pan Water Evaporation ..................................................................................................... 4 3.5 Soil Temperature ............................................................................................................... 4 3.6 River Stage ........................................................................................................................ 4 3.7 Atmospheric Phenomena .................................................................................................. 4 3.8 Real-Time Reporting of Precipitation, Temperatures, and Hazardous Weather Events .............................................................................................................................. 4 4. Establishing, Maintaining, and Inspecting Stations .................................................................. 5 5. Observer Training ..................................................................................................................... 5 6. Supporting Documents Online .................................................................................................. 5 Appendices Page A. NWS Representatives (NWSREP) Maintenance Instructions ............................................. A-1 B. Cooperative Observer Observation Instructions .................................................................. B-1 2 NWSM 10-1315 October 9, 2017 1. Purpose. The purpose of this manual is to provide guidelines for taking and reporting climate and weather observations at cooperative observer program (COOP) stations. The instructions pertain to the exposure, operation, maintenance of instruments, and equipment used by the cooperative observer. 2. Definition of a Cooperative Station. A National Weather Service (NWS) cooperative weather observing station, under the direction of the NWS, is a location at which weather observations are taken or other services rendered by private citizens, institutions or by other government agencies. Services rendered usually consist of taking instrumental or visual observations, recording data and transmitting reports. The equipment is usually owned by the NWS, but may be owned by an individual company, another government agency (Local, Territorial, State, Federal), or privately owned by the cooperative observer. The equipment complies with NWSI 10-1302, Requirements and Standards for Climate Observations, (http://www.nws.noaa.gov/directives/sym/pd01013002curr.pdf), and the station siting complies with standards set in NWSI 10-1307, Cooperative Program Management and Operations. (http://www.nws.noaa.gov/directives/sym/pd01013007curr.pdf). 3. Reporting Elements. Although the majority of cooperative stations record precipitation amount and maximum and minimum temperature, each station is unique. For example, one station may record precipitation only, while another station may record precipitation, temperature, and evaporation. One or more of the following elements may be reported: a. Precipitation b. Air Temperature c. Snow Observations d. Pan Water Evaporation e. Soil Temperature f. River Stage g. Atmospheric Phenomena 3.1 Precipitation. Measurements are taken and recorded daily of the amount of rainfall, snowfall (new snow), depth of snow, and for other forms of precipitation. Records are kept of the character, type, and time of occurrence. Each station is usually furnished with a non- recording or a weighing-type recording gauge. 3.2 Air Temperature. Measurements of the current air temperature and the maximum and minimum temperatures between observations are taken and recorded daily. Cooperative stations are provided with maximum and minimum thermometers and an instrument shelter for housing the thermometers, or an electronic thermometer system. 3 NWSM 10-1315 October 9, 2017 3.3 Snow Observations. There are four categories of observations: snowfall, snow depth, snowfall water content, and snow depth water content. The NWS policies and procedures for taking snow observations are given by, Snow Measurement Guidelines for NWS Surface Observing Programs. Access the Snow Measurement Guidelines (2013) from this link. 3.4 Pan Water Evaporation. Daily measurements of the amount of evaporation observed from an open, freely exposed pan are taken and recorded. Measurements are made of wind movement over the pan, temperature of the water, and temperature of the air. The stations are provided with: a. An evaporation pan with stilling well and calibrated refill cylinder. b. A totalizing anemometer. c. A maximum and minimum thermometer. 3.5 Soil Temperature. Selected stations record the soil temperatures daily. These stations are provided with soil thermometers or sensing elements to be installed at selected depths under undisturbed bare soil or under grass-covered soil. 3.6 River Stage. Some stations take daily observations of river stages. The NWS furnishes an appropriate river gauge for the station. 3.7 Atmospheric Phenomena. Weather occurrences such as rain, cloud cover, hail, and thunderstorms are considered to be atmospheric phenomena. Phenomena of severe enough nature to threaten life and property are usually reported when they take place, rather than waiting to report them at the scheduled time of observation. 3.8. Real-Time Reporting of Precipitation, Temperatures, and Hazardous Weather Events. Cooperative observers are requested to report precipitation values (and in some cases temperature readings) to an NWS office, once per day or whenever a certain minimum amount of precipitation has fallen. During the winter, the observer may be requested to measure and report the water content (water equivalent) of snow on the ground. This information helps the NWS forecast the amount of runoff and potential flooding from snow melt during warm spells or the spring thaw. Some observers maintain precipitation gauges from which the data are automatically interrogated by telephone or satellite. The NWS Representative (NWSREP) may also ask the cooperative observer to report immediately by telephone any severe weather event that may endanger life and property. Inform the observer of the NWS SKYWARN Program, http://www.weather.gov/skywarn/ . This information will aid in determining the need for warnings of severe weather. If the cooperative observer agrees to participate in this program, the observer should be asked to report one or more of the following types of events. 4 NWSM 10-1315 October 9, 2017 a. Flash flooding (observer should provide the time of the observation and state if the water level is rising or falling); b. Severe thunderstorms with damaging winds (58 mph or stronger) or 1.00 inch or larger hail; c. Excessive rain; i.e., 0.50 or 1.00 inch or more per hour; and, d. Unusual snow accumulation (4 inches or