Kula Hospital Awarded for 100 Years of Weather Data

PC: (L to R): Jerome Saucier, NOAA Cooperative Program Manager; Jane Delaport, Kula Hospital Nursing Supervisor; and Aaron Vista, Kula Hospital Building Maintenance Department.

Kula Hospital was presented with an “Honored Institution Award” by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and The United States Department of Commerce for tracking weather information at the Kula facility every day for 100 years.

“The National Weather Service greatly appreciates Kula Hospital Staff for doing the observation for 100 years,” said Jerome Saucier, Cooperative Program Manager at NOAA. “It takes great dedication to do these observations for such a long period.”

At Kula Hospital, the temperatures and rain gauge readings are read and logged every morning by the facility’s maintenance department.

On the first work day of every month the logs are then emailed to Saucier in the NOAA Data Collection Office in Hilo.

According to Saucier, the data helps provide a good record of climate changes at Kula Hospital and nearby areas. It is also used to determine trends in global climate conditions.

The National Weather Service has about 10,000 “Cooperative Weather Observers” in the United States and its territories. The all-volunteer program is comprised of individuals and institutions. NOAA is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce that focuses on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere.