Upper Air Radiosonde Measurements for Atlantic Coast Snowstorms

January 16, 2022, to February 28, 2023, atmospheric data were collected using Vaisala RS41-SGP and Sparv S1H3 Windsond instruments during the IMPACTS field campaign. This dataset provides temperature, dew point, wind speed, and wind direction profiles to study snowband formation and microphysics. The campaign was a three-year NASA-led effort to improve snowfall prediction for U.S. Atlantic Coast winter storms.

Use Cases

• Analyzing vertical profiles of atmospheric temperature and dew point to study thermodynamic conditions within snowbands.
• Correlating wind speed and direction measurements with snowband organization and evolution.
• Validating and improving remote sensing interpretations and numerical weather prediction models for winter precipitation.
• Studying the microphysical growth mechanisms of snow particles using coordinated in-situ atmospheric data.

Strengths

• Data originates from a focused, multi-year NASA field campaign (IMPACTS) with a clear scientific mission.
• Measurements are from specific, documented instrument models (Vaisala Radiosonde RS41-SGP and Sparv Embedded S1H3 Windsond).
• Provides a continuous temporal record across two winter seasons for studying storm evolution.

Limitations

• Exact row count, file size, and complete column list are not provided by any source.
• Data format is listed as ASCII, but available file formats (BIN, ISO, HTML, PDF) suggest ancillary files are also present.
• License is ambiguously noted as 'other-license-specified' without explicit terms.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Measurements gathered via radiosonde (weather balloon) launches during the IMPACTS field campaign.

Time Range

2020-2023 (campaign period); specific data from 2022-01 16 to 2023-02-28.

Freshness

2026-03-13 00:17:35.879725

Geography

U.S. Atlantic Coast region, focusing on snowstorm events.