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Sr. Placida receives award NOAA’s National Weather Service has selected Sister Placida Wemhoff, a resident of Cottonwood, Idaho, as a recipient of the 2021 Holm Award for over 45 years of distinguished service to the Nation through the Cooperative Observer Program (COOP program). C. Corby Dickerson IV, Observing Program Leader (OPL) – Missoula, Montana will present the award to Sister Placida during a webinar ceremony to be held on November 1st at 2 PM MDT/1 PM PDT that can be accessed at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8307826714340109325. Webinar ID: 525-869-539 “Sister Placida's 45 years of weather observing provides a foundation of consistently measured data which is essential to the climate record for the local community, the National Weather Service, and our Nation”, said Bruce Bauck, Meteorologist in Charge from the National Weather Service – Missoula, MT. Since 1976 Sister Placida has been reporting daily temperature, precipitation, and snowfall readings to the National Weather Service. However, beginning at just 13 years old, Sister Placida dedicated to live her life under the ethos of Monasticism through the sharing of the Benedictine charism: that is to say, a way of life, seeking God in community and service of others. For the past 45 years part of this service has been the daily taking of weather observations and the monthly collection of data from a Fischer Porter rain gauge. This dedication to service has led her to become an exemplary Cooperative weather observer who is among the best in the country. She undoubtedly provides the most accurate, detailed, and reliable data on the Camas Prairie of Idaho and within the NWS Missoula Cooperative Network. "NOAA’s National Weather Service relies on dedicated citizen scientists to provide critical surface observations,” said Louis W. Uccellini, Ph.D, Director, National Weather Service. “Daily reports from our COOP Observers are the building blocks of our forecasts each day, and provide a foundation for our climate records across the nation. It would be very difficult for us to fulfill our mission of saving lives and property while enhancing the national economy without these dedicated individuals and institutions." The National Weather Service’s Cooperative Observer Program has provided scientists and researchers with vital observational data for more than a century. Today, over 10,000 volunteer observers participate in the nationwide program to provide daily weather observations on temperature, precipitation, snowfall and other hydrological or meteorological data such as evaporation or soil temperature. The U.S. Congress recognized the value of the COOP program and its observers by authorizing improvements to the program through the National Integrated Drought Information System Reauthorization Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-423). NOAA’s National Weather Service is the primary source of weather data, forecasts and warnings for the United States and its territories. The National Weather Service operates the most advanced weather and flood warning and forecast system in the world, helping to protect lives and property and enhance the national economy. In partnership with national and local government, members of the weather enterprise, Weather-Ready Nation Ambassadors, and Academia, the National Weather Service is working to build a more Weather-Ready Nation to support community resilience in the face of increasing vulnerability to extreme weather. Visit us online at weather.gov and on Facebook.  Sr. Placida
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