North American Regional Reanalysis Atmospheric Data

1979 to present data provides a high-resolution regional climate reanalysis for North America. The dataset contains atmospheric analyses and model-derived fields, produced by NOAA NCEI using a 32-km version of the NCEP ETA model. Analyses are generated eight times daily at three-hour intervals.

Use Cases

• Predict precipitation patterns using assimilated precipitation observation data.
• Analyze surface wind variability from assimilated surface wind fields.
• Model land-surface processes using subsurface, surface, and radiative property estimates.
• Study atmospheric dynamics across 45 vertical layers.
• Compare regional climate trends using 32-km grid resolution data interpolated to a Lambert Conformal Conic projection.

Strengths

• Data spans from October 1978 to the present, providing a long-term climate record.
• High spatial resolution of 32 km grid and temporal resolution of 3-hour intervals.
• Includes 45 vertical layers for detailed atmospheric analysis.
• Assimilates more observational data including precipitation and winds for improved accuracy.

Limitations

• Specific row count and total data volume are unknown.
• Data is encoded in WMO GRIB format version 1, which may require specialized tools for processing.
• The domain includes small parts of regions outside North America, which may not be the primary focus.

Provenance

Source

NOAA_NCEI

Collection Method

Reanalysis of historical observations using a 32-km version of the NCEP 1993 operational ETA model and ETA data assimilation system.

Time Range

October 1978 to present.

Freshness

Analyses are made 8 times daily and extend to the present.

Geography

North and Central America, plus small parts of the United Kingdom, Eastern Asia, South America, and areas of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.