The Climatological Observers Link

Data: Some of our latest monthly reports - Example COL Bulletin
Membership: Contact COL - Membership application form - Subscription rates - Station details form
Other publications: Climatological Averages for 1971-2000 - Current reporting stations - 1961-1990 COL Averages
Data submission: Observing/reporting protocols - Web-based reporting form - Text form for email reports - pdf form for paper reports

The Climatological Observers Link (COL)

Producers of A Monthly Bulletin for all Meteorologists

The Climatological Observers Link was founded in 1970 by a small group of amateur meteorologists and is the enthusiasts' weather observer network for the United Kingdom.

Every month since then a bulletin detailing the weather has been produced.

Membership

COL membership is open to anyone with an interest in the weather.

The organisation caters mainly for amateur meteorologists, but the membership also includes many professionals and observers from other bodies, eg schools, universities and research establishments.

Many of our members run weather stations that co-operate with the Met Office and other organisations, but you don't have to run a weather station to be a member. COL has no age limits - members range from the teens to the quite senior, the current total being over 400.

The distribution of membership is also quite widespread. The majority of members currently reside within the United Kingdom, but a growing number of other countries are represented, ranging from many European countries to others as far afield as Australia.

Monthly Bulletin

Each monthly issue contains

a synopsis of the previous months' weather
extensive columns of data from about 350 reporting stations, including information on:
temperature (air and ground), precipitation, sunshine
number of days with snow, fog, thunder, etc.
wind, cloud cover
monthly articles on
thunder activity, optical phenomena, snowfall
information on:
a station details section, where notable events and records are described
daily temperature, precipitation and sunshine data from about 12 sites scattered across the British Isles
monthly mean surface pressure map for the British Isles, and anomaly maps for temperature, precipitation and sunshine
details of newsworthy weather events from around the world
letters and correspondence from COL members

Each monthly volume contains about 44 A4-sized pages and, at the end of the year, an annual summary edition is produced. Monthly issues are published by about 20 days after the end of the month in question.

COL Directory

In an attempt to assist members to keep in touch with each other and find common interests, a Directory has been published at intervals. The Directory contains a brief history of COL, full details of the membership and, for each operating station, also includes the site location, times of observation, equipment in use, length of site records, site details and the observers particular interests in meteorology.

The latest version, updated November 2005, is written on a cd-rom and contains photographs of member's weather stations.

Advertising

COL is able to carry adverts in its monthly Bulletin. For further details, please contact the Editor.

Bulletin Data

Being an amateur-based organisation, it is difficult to lay down stringent standards of accuracy for data submitted to and published in the bulletin. Any climatic station, whether amateur or professional, is likely to have some aspects peculiar to that site. We believe the general standard of COL stations to be high, indeed, many are approved by local meteorological offices/national weather services.

However, all COL stations are graded according to their equipment and exposure. In addition members are asked to adhere as closely as possible to our observing/reporting protocols.

Subscription Rate

COL is a non-profit making organisation, run by enthusiasts for enthusiasts.

The 2007 annual rate for U.K. members is Ł27-00 sterling (Ł20-00 sterling to the unwaged) with the cost to foreign members being increased solely to allow for the corresponding postal charges. However, for those wishing the receive the Bulletin as a pdf file, these rates are reduced to Ł10-00 and Ł7-00 respectively, both worldwide and in the UK.

For members joining part-way through the year, the subscription rate is reduced, unless back issues are required to the start of the year.

COL daily weather diary

The COL daily weather diary forms an important part of each monthly bulletin, and contributions are always welcome for inclusion in this from any source.

Station averages

Late in 1996 COL published a 200-page A4 booklet containing averages for the periods 1961-70, 1971-80, 1981-90 and 1961-90 at almost 200 of its observing stations. The booklet contains information on averages and extremes of temperature, rainfall, sunshine, snow, frost, thunder and hail. Most of the data refer to the periods 1971-80 and 1981-90. The booklet may be purchased for Ł14 incl p&p.

During 2001 COL produced a booklet of averages for the period 1971-2000 containing monthly values of sunshine, rainfall and temperature. These averages are used in the Bulletin, and may be purchased for Ł6 incl p&p.