One of the responsibilities of the National Weather Service is to take meteorological observations which are used to record the climate of the United States. The National Weather Service relies heavily on a vast network of cooperative observer volunteers to achieve this objective. The National Weather Service determines where observations are needed and furnishes standard meteorological instruments to individuals who volunteer their time to take and record daily observations of the weather. Currently, there are about 8000 published volunteer observing stations located in the United States and its territories. In addition to the thousands of cooperative observation stations operated by individuals, many are maintained by institutions and commerical firms such as universities and utility companies.
All cooperative observers submit a monthly report summarizing daily weather observations.
These contributions to the climate record of the United States are invaluable.