Abstract:
Airways Solar Radiation is historical digital data set DSI-3281, archived at the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). This is meteorological and solar radiation data. The meteorological data is a small historical subset of the larger, ongoing NCDC data set, US Global Surface Airways Hourly Observations (DSI-3280) (C00215). DSI-3281 contains meteorological data from only 31 of the many DSI-3280
... stations, and only from the years 1988-95. These 31 stations also reported direct and global solar radiation data, which is found in DSI-3281 but not DSI-3280. The 31 stations included in this historical data set are located in the US and Guam. The stations are: Albuquerque, NM; Lander, WY; Bismarck, ND; Las Vegas, NV; Boise, ID; Long Beach, CA; Boulder, CO; Madison, WI; Brownsville, TX; Midland, TX; Burlington, VT; Montgomery, AL; Caribou, ME; Nashville, TN; Columbia, MO; Omaha, NE; Dodge City, KS; Phoenix, AZ; El Paso, TX; Pittsburgh, PA; Ely, NV; Raleigh, NC; Fresno, CA; Salt Lake City, UT; Grand Junction, CO; Seattle, WA; Great Falls MT; Sterling, VA; Guam, PI; Tallahassee, FL; and Lake Charles, LA. This data set contains hourly or 3-hourly surface weather observations that are taken primarily at major airports and military bases. Observations are made by trained personnel, or by automated equipment that has been tested by the controlling agency. Stations are usually fully instrumented and therefore record a complete range of meteorological parameters. Observations are generally recorded for the 24-hour period midnight to midnight. Basically, the major parameters are clouds, visibility, winds, air temperature, sky cover, relative humidity, air pressure, direct and global radiation and present weather. However, there have been several historical changes in the way observations have been recorded, including the advent of the Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) in 1992. The detailed parameters, allowing for such changes, are: sky condition in tenths and height per layer; sky condition in eighths and height per layer; altimeter setting; sky condition in tenths and cloud coverage by layer; sky condition in eighths and cloud coverage by layer; ceiling height; cloud type and height by layer; total amount of sky cover by the first two cloud layers and by the first three cloud layers; dew point temperature in tenths Celsius; dew point temperature in Fahrenheit; horizontal visibility; station pressure; direct and global radiation; present weather code; present weather between 5 and 10 statute miles in vicinity; relative humidity; sea level pressure; air temperature in tenths Celsius; air temperature in Fahrenheit; wet bulb temperature in tenths Fahrenheit; total sky cover in eighths; total sky cover and total opaque sky cover measured in tenths; wind direction and speed to 16 points; wind direction and speed; and wind direction and speed from ASOS. All parameters are not reported by all stations. 
