NEXRAD Radar Data for Atlantic Coast Snowstorm Research

KFCX NEXRAD IMPACTS V1 provides Level II weather radar surveillance data from 31 NEXRAD sites across the United States. The dataset was collected from January 1 to March 1, 2020 as part of the three-year IMPACTS field campaign to study snowstorms over the U.S. Atlantic Coast. Data are available in netCDF-4 format and contain dual-polarization base quantities including radar reflectivity, radial velocity, and differential reflectivity.

Use Cases

• Analyzing radar reflectivity and radial velocity columns to study snowband organization and evolution.
• Using differential reflectivity and differential phase data to examine microphysical characteristics of snow particles.
• Applying spectrum width and cross correlation ratio measurements to improve snowfall remote sensing interpretation.
• Modeling winter precipitation events using time-series data from 31 radar sites during a focused campaign period.

Strengths

• Data originates from a focused, three-year scientific field campaign (IMPACTS) with specific research objectives.
• Provides dual-polarization radar data from 31 NEXRAD sites, offering multi-site spatial coverage for event analysis.
• Contains six key meteorological base data quantities, including differential reflectivity and phase for microphysical study.

Limitations

• Exact file count, dataset size, and total row/observation numbers are not provided by any source.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date, reporting both 2020-03-01 and 2026-03-13.
• Column names are not explicitly listed, requiring users to infer structure from the described data quantities.

Provenance

Source

GHRC_DAAC at NASA, collected from 31 NEXRAD (WSR-88D) radar sites.

Collection Method

Field campaign surveillance using Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) Level II systems.

Time Range

2020-01-01 to 2020-03-01 (for this version), with updates planned for subsequent campaign years.

Freshness

2026-03-13 01:28:20.146762

Geography

United States Atlantic Coast region, coverage from 31 radar sites throughout the U.S. and abroad.