May 2001

Labors of love: Volunteer weather watchers honored

Wayne and Mildred Warner. (Photo by Carlye Calvin.)

On 21 April, a number of these volunteers gathered at the Mesa Lab at a workshop in their honor hosted by NCAR, NOAA, and the Colorado Climate Center at Colorado State University. "We are indebted to these individuals," said Nolan Doesken, assistant state climatologist at CSU and, with Rene Munoz (OEO) and Barbara McGehan (NOAA), an organizer of the program. "They are a truly dedicated bunch, taking measurements 365 days a year." And the years can add up!

Among the participants was Wayne Warner, from Gering, Nebraska. "When I was about 20, my uncle said 'Here, kid, take this.' " "This" was responsibility for daily reporting of temperature and precipitation to the weather service, and the year was 1938. "My uncle, Bert Warner, had been taking the observations since 1932 and grew tired of it," Wayne explains, and, unlike his uncle, Wayne has remained a dedicated observer since that day. His station, known then as Harrisburg 10 WNW with the cooperative identification number of 253605, had been in existence since 1911 under various observers. Wayne and his wife Mildred lived on a ranch in Banner County "and taking the observations just became a part of my day," he says. Over the years, he and Mildred traveled extensively ("we've been on every continent except Antarctica") and they relied first on Wayne's father to fill in during their absences, then on a neighbor.

Wayne has received a lot of recognition from NWS in the form of letters of appreciation (kept carefully in a scrapbook created by Mildred) and awards. He received the John Campanius Holm award in 1968 for 30 years of service, the Edward H. Stoll award in 1988 for 50, and the Helmut E. Landsberg award for 60 years of service in 1998. But the one that seems to please him most is the Thomas Jefferson Award he received in 1978 for "unusual and outstanding accomplishments in the field of meteorological observation in the tradition of Thomas Jefferson, pioneer weather observer and third president of the United States."

In those 60-odd years, one weather event stands out in Wayne's memory: the Blizzard of '49. "We really don't know exactly how much snow we received—somewhere around two feet," he recalls. "It hit on January 2nd and we weren't plowed out until February 10^th. There were high winds and drifts over 12 feet high. We got a little tired of the food, but we were lucky—we didn't lose any cattle in that one, though my brother did." Other memorable events: a storm with very large hail in 1956, which damaged windows at his ranch, and a temperature of –40°F in 1989 (a Nebraska record broken in 1999 by a reading of –47°F).

When the responsibility of maintaining the ranch became burdensome in 1998, Wayne and Mildred moved to Gering, Nebraska, "across the crick from Scottsbluff." And the weather service set up another station for him: Gering 1 NW, with its own co-op number (253193). "Mildred thought it would keep me out of trouble," Wayne jokes.

Even at 83, Wayne is not the oldest observer in the area: Wyoming boasts of John Kortes, who at 93 has been on duty since 1 January 1930. "I'm not too sure I'm going to last that long," laughs Wayne.

Brevin and Remy Currier. (Photo by Carlye Calvin.)

While John Kortes started observing at age 14, and Wayne at age 20, two observers are starting even sooner. Brothers Brevin and Remy Currier (ages 9 and 11, respectively) participated in the 21 April event, accompanied by their parents, Dan and Shannon. Between them (they alternate days), the boys maintain Collbran 2SW (ID number 05174302), a station about 50 miles southeast of Grand Junction, Colorado. "My mom found out that Marian Hawkins, who had been observing for 25 years, was ready to retire. We like learning about the weather, so we agreed to do it," Remy explains. Since October 1999, the boys have been taking their readings at 8:00 a.m. each morning; an uncle fills in when they travel. "Since we're home schooled, it doesn't interfere with getting ready in the morning," Remy adds. Shannon Currier says, "It's providing a wonderful base for learning about a range of sciences." The temperature and precipitation measurements are not the only service the boys provided: they also catch spiders for Denver's Natural History Museum. Talk about dedication!