netcdf Surface_METAR_20060331_0000 { dimensions: recNum = UNLIMITED; // (117854 currently) station = 4818; id_len = 4; location_len = 39; time_len = 20; vis_len = 2; weather_len = 16; xfields_len = 50; report_len = 192; variables: int minimum_time_observation; minimum_time_observation:long_name = "minimum time observation"; minimum_time_observation:standard_name = "forecast_reference_time"; minimum_time_observation:units = "seconds since 1970-01-01 00 UTC"; minimum_time_observation:_FillValue = 0; int maximum_time_observation; maximum_time_observation:long_name = "maximum time observation"; maximum_time_observation:standard_name = "forecast_reference_time"; maximum_time_observation:units = "seconds since 1970-01-01 00 UTC"; maximum_time_observation:_FillValue = 0; int number_stations; int lastChild(station); lastChild:long_name = "latest report for this station"; lastChild:_FillValue = -1; int numChildren(station); numChildren:long_name = "number of reports for this station"; numChildren:_FillValue = 0; char station_id(station, id_len); station_id:long_name = "Station id"; station_id:reference = "sfmetar_sa.tbl"; char station_description(station, location_len); station_description:long_name = "Geographic station description"; station_description:standard_name = "region"; station_description:reference = "sfmetar_sa.tbl"; int wmo_id(station); wmo_id:long_name = "Numeric WMO Identifier"; wmo_id:reference = "sfmetar_sa.tbl"; wmo_id:missing_value = 99999; float latitude(station); latitude:long_name = "Station latitude"; latitude:standard_name = "latitude"; latitude:valid_range = -90.0, 90.0; latitude:units = "degrees_north"; latitude:reference = "sfmetar_sa.tbl"; float longitude(station); longitude:long_name = "Station longitude"; longitude:standard_name = "longitude"; longitude:valid_range = -180.0, 180.0; longitude:units = "degrees_east"; longitude:reference = "sfmetar_sa.tbl"; int altitude(station); altitude:long_name = "Station altitude"; altitude:standard_name = "surface_altitude"; altitude:units = "meters"; altitude:positive = "up"; altitude:reference = "sfmetar_sa.tbl"; int parent_index(recNum); parent_index:long_name = "index of the station for this record"; int prevChild(recNum); prevChild:long_name = "record number of the previous record for the same station"; prevChild:_FillValue = -1; char report_id(recNum, id_len); report_id:long_name = "Station id"; report_id:_FillValue = ""; report_id:reference = "sfmetar_sa.tbl"; int time_observation(recNum); time_observation:long_name = "time of observation"; time_observation:standard_name = "forecast_reference_time"; time_observation:units = "seconds since 1970-01-01 00 UTC"; int time_nominal(recNum); time_nominal:long_name = "time nominal"; time_nominal:standard_name = "time"; time_nominal:units = "seconds since 1970-01-01 00 UTC"; int wind_from_direction(recNum); wind_from_direction:long_name = "Wind From Direction"; wind_from_direction:standard_name = "wind_from_direction"; wind_from_direction:_FillValue = -99999; wind_from_direction:valid_range = 0, 360; wind_from_direction:units = "degrees"; float wind_speed(recNum); wind_speed:long_name = "Wind Speed"; wind_speed:standard_name = "wind_speed"; wind_speed:_FillValue = -99999.0f; wind_speed:units = "m/s"; float wind_gust(recNum); wind_gust:long_name = "Wind Gust"; wind_gust:standard_name = "wind_speed"; wind_gust:_FillValue = -99999.0f; wind_gust:units = "m/s"; int wind_from_direction_min(recNum); wind_from_direction_min:long_name = "wind from direction minimum"; wind_from_direction_min:standard_name = "wind_from_direction"; wind_from_direction_min:_FillValue = -99999; wind_from_direction_min:valid_range = 0, 360; wind_from_direction_min:units = "degrees"; int wind_from_direction_max(recNum); wind_from_direction_max:long_name = "wind from direction maximum"; wind_from_direction_max:standard_name = "wind_from_direction"; wind_from_direction_max:_FillValue = -99999; wind_from_direction_max:valid_range = 0, 360; wind_from_direction_max:units = "degrees"; int wind_peak_from_direction(recNum); wind_peak_from_direction:long_name = "Peak wind direction"; wind_peak_from_direction:standard_name = "wind_from_direction"; wind_peak_from_direction:_FillValue = -99999; wind_peak_from_direction:valid_range = 0, 360; wind_peak_from_direction:units = "degrees"; float wind_peak_speed(recNum); wind_peak_speed:long_name = "Peak wind speed"; wind_peak_speed:standard_name = "wind_speed"; wind_peak_speed:_FillValue = -99999.0f; wind_peak_speed:units = "m/s"; char wind_peak_time(recNum, time_len); wind_peak_time:long_name = "Peak wind time"; wind_peak_time:standard_name = "forecast_reference_time"; wind_peak_time:_FillValue = ""; wind_peak_time:format = "YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ssZ"; float visibility_in_air(recNum); visibility_in_air:long_name = "visibility in air"; visibility_in_air:standard_name = "visibility_in_air"; visibility_in_air:_FillValue = -99999.0f; visibility_in_air:units = "US_statute_mile"; char visibility_in_air_direction(recNum, vis_len); visibility_in_air_direction:long_name = "visibility in air direction"; visibility_in_air_direction:standard_name = "visibility_in_air"; visibility_in_air_direction:_FillValue = ""; visibility_in_air_direction:units = "degrees"; float visibility_in_air_vertical(recNum); visibility_in_air_vertical:long_name = "Vertical visibility in air"; visibility_in_air_vertical:standard_name = "visibility_in_air"; visibility_in_air_vertical:_FillValue = -99999.0f; visibility_in_air_vertical:units = "meters"; float visibility_in_air_surface(recNum); visibility_in_air_surface:long_name = "Visibility in air at surface"; visibility_in_air_surface:standard_name = "visibility_in_air"; visibility_in_air_surface:_FillValue = -99999.0f; visibility_in_air_surface:units = "meters"; float low_cloud_area_fraction(recNum); low_cloud_area_fraction:long_name = "Low cloud area fraction"; low_cloud_area_fraction:standard_name = "cloud_area_fraction"; low_cloud_area_fraction:_FillValue = -99999.0f; low_cloud_area_fraction:units = ""; float low_cloud_base_altitude(recNum); low_cloud_base_altitude:long_name = "Low cloud base"; low_cloud_base_altitude:standard_name = "cloud_base_altitude"; low_cloud_base_altitude:_FillValue = -99999.0f; low_cloud_base_altitude:units = "meters"; float middle_cloud_area_fraction(recNum); middle_cloud_area_fraction:long_name = "Middle cloud area fraction"; middle_cloud_area_fraction:standard_name = "cloud_area_fraction"; middle_cloud_area_fraction:_FillValue = -99999.0f; middle_cloud_area_fraction:units = ""; float middle_cloud_base_altitude(recNum); middle_cloud_base_altitude:long_name = "Middle cloud base"; middle_cloud_base_altitude:standard_name = "cloud_base_altitude"; middle_cloud_base_altitude:_FillValue = -99999.0f; middle_cloud_base_altitude:units = "meters"; float high_cloud_area_fraction(recNum); high_cloud_area_fraction:long_name = "High cloud area fraction"; high_cloud_area_fraction:standard_name = "cloud_area_fraction"; high_cloud_area_fraction:_FillValue = -99999.0f; high_cloud_area_fraction:units = ""; float high_cloud_base_altitude(recNum); high_cloud_base_altitude:long_name = "High cloud base"; high_cloud_base_altitude:standard_name = "cloud_base_altitude"; high_cloud_base_altitude:_FillValue = -99999.0f; high_cloud_base_altitude:units = "meters"; float air_temperature(recNum); air_temperature:long_name = "Air temperature at 2 meters"; air_temperature:standard_name = "air_temperature"; air_temperature:_FillValue = -99999.0f; air_temperature:units = "Celsius"; float dew_point_temperature(recNum); dew_point_temperature:long_name = "Dew point temperature at 2 meters"; dew_point_temperature:standard_name = "dew_point_temperature"; dew_point_temperature:_FillValue = -99999.0f; dew_point_temperature:units = "Celsius"; float inches_ALTIM(recNum); inches_ALTIM:long_name = "Pressure at station"; inches_ALTIM:standard_name = "pressure"; inches_ALTIM:_FillValue = -99999.0f; inches_ALTIM:units = "inches"; float hectoPascal_ALTIM(recNum); hectoPascal_ALTIM:long_name = "Pressure at station"; hectoPascal_ALTIM:standard_name = "pressure"; hectoPascal_ALTIM:_FillValue = -99999.0f; hectoPascal_ALTIM:units = "hectoPascal"; float air_pressure_at_sea_level(recNum); air_pressure_at_sea_level:long_name = "Air pressure at sea level"; air_pressure_at_sea_level:standard_name = "air_pressure_at_sea_level"; air_pressure_at_sea_level:_FillValue = -99999.0f; air_pressure_at_sea_level:units = "hectoPascal"; char weather(recNum, weather_len); weather:long_name = "Weather phenomena"; weather:_FillValue = ""; weather:reference = "WMO #306, code table 4658"; float snowfall_amount_last_hour(recNum); snowfall_amount_last_hour:long_name = "Snow fall amount last hour"; snowfall_amount_last_hour:standard_name = "snowfall_amount"; snowfall_amount_last_hour:_FillValue = -99999.0f; snowfall_amount_last_hour:units = "inches"; float snowfall_amount(recNum); snowfall_amount:long_name = "Snow fall amount on ground"; snowfall_amount:standard_name = "snowfall_amount"; snowfall_amount:_FillValue = -99999.0f; snowfall_amount:units = "inches"; float precipitation_amount_hourly(recNum); precipitation_amount_hourly:long_name = "Hourly precipitation amount"; precipitation_amount_hourly:standard_name = "precipitation_amount"; precipitation_amount_hourly:_FillValue = -99999.0f; precipitation_amount_hourly:units = ".01 inches"; float precipitation_amount_24(recNum); precipitation_amount_24:long_name = "24 hour precipitation amount"; precipitation_amount_24:standard_name = "precipitation_amount"; precipitation_amount_24:_FillValue = -99999.0f; precipitation_amount_24:units = ".01 inches"; char xfields(recNum, xfields_len); xfields:long_name = "Extra fields not decoded"; xfields:reference = "max length 50"; int report_length(recNum); report_length:_FillValue = -1; char report(recNum, report_len); report:long_name = "Original report"; report:reference = "max length 192"; :title = "METAR Data from NWS"; :version = 2.3; :processor = "metar2nc version v1.2"; :Conventions = "Unidata Observation Dataset v1.0"; :standard_name_vocabulary = "CF-1.0"; :description = "Metar Data from NWS distributed through the Unidata IDD realtime datastream. 1 day's worth of data"; :time_coordinate = "time_observation"; :cdm_datatype = "Station"; :stationDimension = "station"; :station_id = "station_id"; :station_description = "station_description"; :latitude_coordinate = "latitude"; :longitude_coordinate = "longitude"; :altitude_coordinate = "altitude"; :geospatial_lat_max = "90.0"; :geospatial_lat_min = "-90.0"; :geospatial_lon_max = "360.0"; :geospatial_lon_min = "0.0"; :time_coverage_start = "1143762300"; :time_coverage_end = "1143848640"; :observationDimension = "recNum"; :notes = " The metar2nc decoder creates a netCDF file based on a set of variables that are commonly used in display programs. Since not all the variables that are possible(over 135) are written, the raw METAR report is stored for future decoding of variables not explicited specified. The lastChild variable gives the record number of the most recent report for a particular station and the prevChild variable is the record number of the next most recent. By following the links, all the reports for a particular station can be extracted."; }