Weather reporting more than just a hobby for Johnston couple
Friends, neighbors, television stations and even agricultural insurance agents frequently call Berry to get a readout, but the primary agency that gets the information is the
"It's priceless information for the climate record," said
Berry and his wife, Harriett, are one of 23 families in the
A county extension agent connected Berry to the program in 1980. Berry, who used to be a cattle farmer but now grows okra and other vegetables, said an accurate weather report has always been important to his daily life and there was no better place for it than outside his door.
The weather service and
As an observer, Berry is required to call the weather service every day and report the high, low and current temperature; soil temperature; and rain total for the day. Those figures are used in weather reports and for research purposes. There is no compensation for observers.
Berry keeps a personal log in his home that shows daily totals for the entire 35 years he's been observing.
In those 35 years, it's been rare for Berry to not call in the report.
"One week out of the year I go on vacations," Berry said, adding that last week he had a "senior moment" and just forgot.
In 1982,
"I have to do it sometimes when the boss can't," she said.
Typically the Berrys call around
"It's always good to hear their voice as you're starting your day with your coffee at the weather desk," Anderson said.
The Berrys' equipment, which is encased in a wooden structure, is a little old-fashioned but still very accurate, said
"It's getting harder and harder to find people committed to doing this day in and out," Anderson said. "
The Berrys are among the longest observers in the local area, but Campbell said there are some in the country that have passed on observing through their families for at least 100 years.
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