NEXRAD Level II Radar Data for Iowa Flood Studies

Four NEXRAD weather radar sites collected Level-II base data from March 29 to June 18, 2013, extending the official Iowa Flood Studies (IFloodS) campaign period. The dataset contains three core meteorological quantities: reflectivity, mean radial velocity, and spectrum width. Data files are in a custom binary format requiring specialized software for visualization and decoding.

Use Cases

• Validating satellite precipitation estimates based on ground-based radar reflectivity data.
• Analyzing storm structure and dynamics using time-series data of radial velocity and spectrum width.
• Studying flood event precursors and rainfall patterns in central-northeastern Iowa.
• Calibrating hydrological models with high-resolution, geospatial precipitation inputs.

Strengths

• Data collection covers a specific, intensive field campaign (IFloodS) with a defined period of record.
• Includes raw Level-II data from four distinct radar sites, providing spatial context.
• Browse imagery in PNG format offers quick visual inspection without specialized software.

Limitations

• Data format is a custom binary requiring specialized, unspecified software for use, creating an access barrier.
• Metadata completeness is low: column names, row counts, and exact file sizes are unknown across all sources.
• Conflicting license information exists ('other-license-specified' vs. 'None'), and the authoritative author is unclear.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Collected by Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) / NEXRAD systems.

Time Range

March 29, 2013 to June 18, 2013

Freshness

2026-04-10 02:34:54.580935

Geography

Central-northeastern Iowa, United States (from four specific NEXRAD sites)