ASOS Ceilometer Cloud Height Measurements from 25 U.S. Stations

ASOS 30-Second Ceilometer Data is a high-resolution time-series of cloud layer observations from Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) stations. The dataset contains 30-second samples of cloud base height, layer thickness, and sensor status from 25 reference sites across the contiguous United States. It is archived by the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) under NOAA, with the earliest records from June 1998.

Use Cases

• Model cloud base height and layer thickness from 30-second ceilometer pulse data for aviation safety applications.
• Analyze temporal patterns in cloud layer detection and quality control parameters for instrument validation.
• Train time-series models to predict the number of cloud layers using high-frequency sensor status information.
• Study geographic variability in cloud characteristics by joining data from the 25 listed station call signs (e.g., ATL, DEN, SFO).

Strengths

• High vertical resolution of 50 feet up to 12,600 feet above ground level.
• High temporal resolution with data sampled every 30 seconds.
• Contains data from 25 distinct ASOS reference stations across the contiguous U.S.

Limitations

• Limited spatial coverage with data from only 25 sites out of hundreds of operational ASOS stations.
• Geographic bias as all stations are located within the 48 contiguous United States.
• Temporal coverage may have gaps as the earliest data is from 1998 and update frequency is unspecified.

Provenance

Source

National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) / NOAA NCEI, from the Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) network.

Collection Method

Data collected by ASOS Cloud Height Indicator (CHI) laser ceilometers, sampled every 30 seconds and processed by ASOS software.

Time Range

Earliest data from June 1998. Ongoing coverage unspecified.

Geography

25 ASOS stations within the 48 contiguous United States of America (e.g., Astoria, OR; Atlanta, GA; West Palm Beach, FL).