NWS 1972 Climatology Data with Solar Insolation Measurements

Weather data for 1972 from the Superior National Forest area, collected by the National Weather Service in International Falls, Minnesota. Total solar insolation measurements were made at Fall Lake Dam in Winton, Minnesota, using a Yellow Springs solar cell calibrated against an Eppley Pyranometer. The dataset is hosted by NASA and appears on multiple government data platforms.

Use Cases

• Analyzing daily temperature and precipitation trends for 1972.
• Correlating measured solar insolation values with atmospheric conditions.
• Validating climate models using historical NWS station data from International Falls.
• Studying water vapor indicators and their relationship to local weather events.

Strengths

• Includes specialized solar insolation measurements calibrated against a professional-grade Eppley Pyranometer.
• Data is sourced from the National Weather Service, a recognized authority.
• Appears on multiple platforms (Data.gov, NASA Earthdata), indicating curation and importance.

Limitations

• Critical metadata conflicts exist: 'last updated' dates are 2026-03-12 on Data.gov versus 1972-12-31 on NASA Earthdata.
• No column names, row counts, or file sizes are provided on any platform.
• The specific license is unclear, listed only as 'other-license-specified'.

Provenance

Source

National Weather Service (International Falls, Minnesota); solar insolation measurements by Prof. Donald Baker, University of Minnesota.

Collection Method

Weather data collected by NWS; insolation measured with a calibrated Yellow Springs solar cell.

Time Range

1972

Freshness

2026-03-12 23:00:34.567896

Geography

Superior National Forest area, with weather data from International Falls, MN and insolation data from Fall Lake Dam, Winton, MN.