Left to Right: David Pearson, NWS Service Hydrologist; Brad Morton, Hydro Superintendent; Tony Miller, Plant Operator; Blane Konwinski, Plant Operator; and Katie Gross, NWS Meteorologist.
The operators at Loup Power District’s Columbus Powerhouse have been reporting the weather for more than 60 years.
That milestone was recognized with a Special Service Award from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The award recognizes the service this provides to the National Weather Service (NWS).
Service Hydrologist David Pearson and Meteorologist Katie Gross from the NWS office in Valley presented the award on May 9.
There is an on-duty operator at the Powerhouse 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Each day, the operators note the day’s high and low temperatures, barometric pressure, precipitation, and snow depth. They report this to the NWS office through an online portal.
They also note hourly wind speeds and sky conditions.
Loup is one of nearly 9,000 volunteers in the NWS Cooperative Observer Program throughout the nation. The program was created in 1890 to provide observational meteorological data, and to provide that data in real time to support forecast and warning programs.
Locally, there are 67 volunteer observers throughout eastern Nebraska and western Iowa. Of those, Loup provides the most data.
“Nobody else is doing anything close to this,” he said. “The amount of detail you provide is amazing.”
Hydro Superintendent Brad Morton said employees at the Genoa Headworks also report river conditions beginning in the fall.
“We’re the eyes and ears out there,” he said.
These reports include slushy or icy conditions at the Headworks. They also note how much water is flowing into the canal versus going down the river.
Pearson said those reports help NWS employees keep everyone informed.
For example, he said ice movement is usually an alarm that prompts them to alert downstream counties and emergency managers that ice jams and flooding could be coming.
Morton said before online reporting, operators recorded conditions on paper and physically sent them in. After that, the NWS gave Loup a special phone to call in the daily reports.
The NWS isn’t the only entity that relied on Loup’s information over the years. At one time, the Powerhouse got calls from television and radio stations asking about precipitation, snowfall, or temperatures. That went away with the advent of the internet and social media.
In addition to reports from the Powerhouse, the NWS also collects data from automated equipment at the Columbus Municipal Airport.
Reports from official weather observers in the Columbus area go back about 150 years. In 1928, Harold Kramer was appointed weather observer for Columbus.
Kramer was instrumental in the development of the Loup Power District project in the 1930s and served as Loup’s first General Manager. He also helped develop the American Public Power Association.
It is likely that Kramer’s connection with weather observation influenced Loup’s early employees to recommend that the Powerhouse continue the service.
Morton said that while the weather reports benefit the NWS, they also help Loup’s operations teams.
“Weather conditions are very important for all of our day-to-day decisions,” he said. “We are happy to partner with the National Weather Service.”