1974 Daily Climatology and Solar Insolation Data for Northern Minnesota

1974 weather data were collected by the National Weather Service in International Falls, Minnesota, and total solar insolation measurements were made at Fall Lake Dam in Winton, Minn. by Prof. Donald Baker of the University of Minnesota. The dataset includes atmospheric measurements such as temperature, precipitation, water vapor, and solar radiation for a region representative of the Superior National Forest area.

Use Cases

• Analyzing daily temperature trends using surface air temperature data.
• Studying precipitation patterns and amounts for hydrological modeling.
• Correlating measured solar insolation values with atmospheric conditions.
• Investigating historical atmospheric water vapor indicators.
• Validating regional climate models for the Superior National Forest area.

Strengths

• Data includes calibrated solar insolation measurements using a Yellow Springs cell against an Eppley Pyranometer.
• Weather data is sourced from the authoritative National Weather Service.
• Dataset has a specific temporal focus on the year 1974.

Limitations

• Exact row count, column names, and dataset size are unknown across all sources.
• Conflicting last updated dates exist: one source lists 1974-12-31, while others list 2026-03 12.
• The spatial representativeness of the International Falls data for the SNF area (80 miles away) is noted but not quantified.

Provenance

Source

National Weather Service (weather data); Prof. Donald Baker, University of Minnesota Department of Soil Science (solar insolation).

Collection Method

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

Time Range

1974

Freshness

2026-03-12 23:00:30.172124

Geography

International Falls, Minnesota, and Fall Lake Dam in Winton, Minnesota, USA; representative of the Superior National Forest area.