NWS Daily Climatology: Weather and Solar Data for Northern Minnesota

Weather data were collected by the National Weather Service in International Falls, Minnesota, approximately 80 miles from the Superior National Forest. Total solar insolation measurements were made at Fall Lake Dam in Winton, Minn. by Prof. Donald Baker of the Department of Soil Science at the University of Minnesota, St. Paul. Insolation values were measured using a Yellow Springs solar cell calibrated against an Eppley Pyranometer.

Use Cases

• Analyzing long-term temperature trends based on daily climatology records
• Modeling solar energy potential using measured insolation values
• Calibrating regional climate models with ground-truth weather station data
• Studying precipitation patterns in Northern Minnesota over a multi-decade period

Strengths

• Data collection involved calibrated scientific instruments, specifically a Yellow Springs solar cell and an Eppley Pyranometer
• Covers a significant multi-decade time range from 1972 to 1990
• Represents a specific geographic area with detailed provenance for both weather and solar measurement locations

Limitations

• Column names and data structure are not specified in any source, limiting immediate usability
• Sources conflict on freshness, with one platform showing a last updated date of 2026-04-09 and another showing 1990-12-31
• The dataset size, row count, and specific file contents within the listed formats are unknown

Provenance

Source

National Weather Service (International Falls, MN) and Prof. Donald Baker, University of Minnesota

Collection Method

Collected by the National Weather Service; solar insolation measured with a calibrated Yellow Springs solar cell.

Time Range

1972-1990

Freshness

2026-04-09 23:36:53.679273

Geography

International Falls, Minnesota and Fall Lake Dam in Winton, Minnesota, USA