Hugh McCoy, National Weather Service Cooperative Observer for Burnet, was presented a 15-year length of service award from National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio.
McCoy began reporting Burnet’s rainfall amounts and temperatures to the National Weather on August 1, 2009.
McCoy works diligently to maintain one of the longest-running weather records in Texas.
The first weather observations in the area were conducted under the direction of the U.S. Army Surgeon General at Fort Croghan, from June 1, 1849 to August 1853. Observations then resumed in 1885 under the U.S. Signal Corps, which was responsible for operating a national weather observing network until Congress transferred that function to the newly created U.S.
Weather Bureau in 1891.
The law that created the Weather Bureau, now known as the National Weather Service, also mandated that a nationwide network of volunteers be recruited to observe the weather.
Today, that network is known as the Cooperative Observer Program. 177 years after the first observation at Fort Croghan, McCoy works hard to ensure that Burnet has a complete and accurate weather record very near the location of the original observations.
The National Weather Service recognizes Cooperative Observers with length-of-service awards for every 5 years of service.
Every morning, he checks his rain gauge and thermometer, then enters the readings into a website connected to the National Weather Service, which later forwards it to the National Centers for Environmental Information in Asheville, NC, where it is permanently archived and made available to users.
The data is utilized in a wide range of applications, such as roadway drainage planning, floodplain management, the development of weatherization codes, engineering, climate research, hydrology, and many others.
“Burnet’s historical weather record is in good hands. We have 60 Cooperative Observers across our 33-county area of responsibility, and Mr. McCoy is one of our best. He’s very knowledgeable and industrious, and I always look forward to our visits to see what projects he has tackled since we last met”, said NWS Hydro-Meteorological Technician Cory Van Pelt.
