NEXRAD Radar Data from Midlatitude Convective Cloud Experiment

This dataset contains NEXRAD weather radar data from six sites in central Oklahoma, collected to support the NASA GPM mission's ground validation efforts. It was gathered during the collaborative Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E) between NASA and the DOE ARM facility. The data covers a focused period of observation in spring 2011.

Use Cases

• Validating satellite-derived precipitation estimates from the GPM mission using ground-based radar reflectivity.
• Analyzing the structure and evolution of midlatitude convective clouds using Doppler velocity and spectrum width data.
• Studying storm dynamics and microphysics across a multi-radar network (KGLD, KICT, KINX, KTLX, KTWX, KVNX).
• Calibrating and improving algorithms for quantitative precipitation estimation (QPE) from radar observations.

Strengths

• Data originates from the operational NEXRAD network of 160 WSR-88D Doppler radars, a standard for U.S. meteorological observation.
• Provides coordinated multi-site radar coverage from six locations during a dedicated field campaign (MC3E).
• Supports a major NASA satellite mission (Global Precipitation Measurement) for calibration and validation.

Limitations

• Specific row counts, file sizes, and detailed column names are not provided across any platform.
• Sources conflict on temporal coverage: one states collection from April 22 to June 6, 2011, while others note the dataset only contains data from May 18 to June 6, 2011.
• Data is stored in tarred binary files, which require specialized software and knowledge for access and processing.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission Ground Validation program, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility.

Collection Method

Collected by the Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) system, specifically Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) sites.

Time Range

April 22, 2011 to June 6, - (Note: dataset may only contain May 18 to June 6, 2011)

Freshness

2026-03-13 02:03:11.974550

Geography

Central Oklahoma, United States, from radar sites KGLD, KICT, KINX, KTLX, KTWX, KVNX.