University of Toronto Atmospheric Observatory (TAO) Weather Data, 2001-Present

Meteorological measurements recorded at the University of Toronto Atmospheric Observatory (TAO) located at 43.66°N, 79.40°W. Data are provided as one comma-separated file per year, containing 29 variables including temperature, humidity, wind speed, rainfall, solar radiation, and derived indices. The first weather station was installed on 24 October 2001, with equipment and logging software updates noted through 2020.

Use Cases

• Analyzing local microclimate and urban heat island effects based on rooftop temperature and humidity measurements.
• Studying wind flow patterns and turbulence around tall buildings based on wind speed, bearing, and gust data.
• Modeling evapotranspiration and solar energy potential based on solar radiation, ET, and UV index measurements.
• Investigating data quality and sensor impacts in urban environments based on documented site-specific obstructions.

Strengths

• Long-term record with data collection starting 24 October 2001.
• 29 distinct meteorological variables per observation, including derived comfort indices.
• Detailed metadata describing specific sensor locations, obstructions, and historical logging changes.

Limitations

• Measurements are affected by the rooftop location (61 m above street level), building structure, and nearby obstructions, limiting representativeness of ground conditions.
• The weather station is not calibrated regularly, which may affect measurement accuracy over time.
• Row count and total file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

University of Toronto Atmospheric Observatory (TAO), Borealis Harvested Dataverse.

Collection Method

Recorded by Davis Vantage Pro 2 Plus weather stations, with data logging switched from WeatherLink to CumulusMX software on 25 February 2014.

Time Range

2001-10-24 to present (exact end date unknown).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-02 04:11:40; update frequency is not specified.

Geography

Single point location at the Burton Tower, McLennan Physical Laboratories, 60 St. George Street, Toronto, ON, Canada.