Delhi weather observer wins national award
Feb. 23—A Delhi man has received two awards from the National Weather Service for his decades of service as a weather observer.
The National Weather Service in Binghamton announced on its Facebook page, John Bramley received the John Campanius Holm and Dick Hagemeyer awards. The John Campanius Holm Award is given annually by the National Weather Service to "individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of meteorology through their long-term dedication and accuracy in weather data collection," the post said. It is named "after the Swedish Lutheran minister who made the first known systematic weather observations in the American colonies in 1644."
Joanne LaBounty, observation program leader at the National Weather Service office at Binghamton, said in an email in addition to recording weather data for 20 years, nominees of the award "must also play an important role in their community through other philanthropic and volunteer activities." Bramley is active in the Delhi Historical Society and the chamber of commerce, she said.
Bramley, who has been a cooperative weather observer since 1965, said there are 8,800 cooperative weather observers in the country and the award is only given to 25 people per year, which made him feel proud. "It was really nice of them to nominate me," he said of the National Weather Service in Binghamton. "Of course, they're proud too."
The Dick Hagemeyer Award is presented to cooperative weather observers for their longevity, the post said. This award was presented to Bramley for serving 45 or more years as a cooperative weather observer.
Bramley, 94, said he was asked by his neighbor, who was retiring as the weather observer in Delhi, if he wanted to take over his position. Bramley asked his neighbor what he would have to do and agreed. "He told me 'it doesn't pay much, but it will keep you supplied with pipe tobacco,'" he said.
Bramley said he's always been curious and likes recording the weather because "no two days are the same." He records the daily high and low temperature, what type of precipitation and how much fell, if any, during the day and what the temperature is at 7 a.m. when he makes his report to the National Weather Service in Binghamton each day. When snow falls, he has to melt down the snow to see how much water content was in the snow. He said Friday morning, Feb. 23, he recorded that Delhi received .5 inches of snow and .5 inches of rain Thursday for a total of 1 inch of precipitation.
Bramley said the snow is collected in a measuring can that is 2 feet tall and 10 inches across. When he first started doing the observations, he would run warm water on the outside of the can to melt the snow. Now, he points a hairdryer onto the snow to melt it. He said other observers use heat guns to melt the snow. "It's a great, modern improvement," he said.
LaBounty said the observations Bramley and other observers provide to the weather service are important. Observers provide near real-time data that support forecast and warning operations and whether the area is susceptible to flooding or if a drought declaration is needed. Data from the weather stations "is used to define the climate of the United States and measure long-term climate changes," she said. "John started taking observations in 1965, but data for Delhi was taken by other observers prior to that. The Delhi weather records actually go back to 1924. The oldest station in the NWS Binghamton forecast area is in Cooperstown, which started in 1853. Other weather records in the United States go back much farther. John's long period of consistent weather records has been of great service to the NWS. John has helped provide data for an area of New York where we do not typically get a lot of observations and where there have historically been many instances of severe flooding and heavy snow that have led to disaster declarations in Delaware County. His ground-truth reports help give us more insight into what the radar and computer models are telling us."
Bramley said his records show that winters have been getting warmer. For example, there used to be several days in January and February that were at or below 0 degrees. This winter there were two days in January and the first 0 degree day in February was earlier this week. He also noticed that people who produce maple syrup have to get their trees tapped by the beginning of February. "It used to be President's Day," he said.
While the winters have gotten warmer, the summers have not seemed to have gotten hotter, he said. "They're not too many more 90-degree days than before," he said. "We live where it's cooler in the summer."
For more information about the National Weather Services' Cooperative Observer Program, visit http://tinyurl.com/28c8w8pp.
Vicky Klukkert, staff writer, can be reached at vklukkert@thedailystar.com or 607-441-7221.
