NWS/Former President Carter Honor University of
Georgia Weather Observers

(L to R) WFO Atlanta Cooperative Observer Program Manager Nathan Mayes; Southern Region Cooperative Observer Program Manager Mike Asmus; President Carter; SW Research and Education Center Supt. Stan Jones; Dr. Steve Brown, Asst. Dean, University of Georgia Agriculture and Environmental Science Dept.; and, WFO Atlanta Science and Operations Officer Gary Beeley. (Photo: ET Christopher Carney, WFO Atlanta)

(June 29, 2006) -- Former President Jimmy Carter and officials from the National Weather Service Southern Region presented the Honored Institution Award to the University of Georgia's Southwest Research and Education Center in Plains. This prestigious award recognizes the center for 50 years of weather observations and cooperative service to the National Weather Service.

"I am pleased to be able to present this award to the exceptional staff of the Southwest Research and Education Center," said Carter. "As a resident of Plains and a farmer, I depend on the accurate reports collected by this outstanding facility."

Southwest Research and Education Center Supervisor Stan Jones accepted the award on behalf of the university and participating staff members. The center began providing weather observations in January of 1956. Currently, the staff monitors and provides daily reports on temperature, precipitation, evaporation and soil temperatures to the Weather Forecast Office in Atlanta.

The NWS Cooperative Weather Observer Program has given scientists and researchers continuous observational data since the program's inception more than a century ago. Today, nearly 12,000 volunteer observers participate in the nationwide program to provide daily reports on temperature, precipitation and other weather factors such as snow depth, river levels and soil temperature.