Pennsylvania Hydrometeorological Networks

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Regional Surface Meteorological Networks

WCAU SchoolNet - WCAU-TV in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania operates this network of 230 stations located at schools throughout Pennsylvania and surrounding states (122 in Pennsylvania). The network provides up to 1-minute observations of air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction, precipitation, and barometric pressure. For further information visit the WCAU network page. No map yet.

WPXI SchoolNet - WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania operates this network of 63 stations located at schools throughout Pennsylvania and surrounding states (60 in Pennsylvania). The network provides up to 1-minute observations of air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction, precipitation, and barometric pressure. For further information visit the WPXI network page. No map yet.

WMAR WeatherNet - WMAR-TV in Baltimore, Maryland operates this network of 131 stations located primarily at schools throughout Maryland, eastern Pennsylvania, and Delaware (3 in Pennsylvia). The network provides up to 1-minute observations of air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction, precipitation, and barometric pressure. For further information visit the WMAR network page. No map yet.
WIVB WeatherNet - WIVB-TV in Buffalo, New York this network of 90 stations located primarily at schools throughout New York and Pennsylvania (3 in Pennsylvania). The network provides up to 1-minute observations of air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction, precipitation, and barometric pressure. For further information visit the WIVB network page. No map yet.

WBRE WeatherNet - WBRE-TV in Honolulu, Hawaii operates this network of 63 stations located primarily at schools throughout Pennsylvania and 1 in New York. The network provides up to 1-minute observations of air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction, precipitation, and barometric pressure. For further information visit the WBRE network page. No map yet.

WNBC WeatherNet - WNBC-TV in New York, New York this network of 485 stations located primarily at schools throughout New York, New Jersey and Connecticut (1 in Pennsylvania). The network provides up to 1-minute observations of air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction, precipitation, and barometric pressure. For further information visit the WNBC network page. No map yet.

State and Local Surface Meteorological Networks

Pennsylvania Hourly Mesonet - The Pennsylvania State Climatologist maintains and archive of hourly weather observations for stations within Pennsylvania. This network includes stations from the NWS ASOS, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Roadway Weather Information System (RWIS) the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Air Monitoring System, and the NWS Buoy Networks. For further information visit the Pennsylvania Hourly Mesonet home page. Map

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (DOT) Road Weather Information System (RWIS) Network - The Pennsylvania DOT operates this network of 75 stations with locations along highways throughout the state of Pennsylvania. The network provides variable (hourly or higher) resolution observations of air temperature, dew point, relative humidity, and wind speed. Hourly data from this network is included in the Pennsylvania Hourly Mesonet operated by the Pennsylvania State Climatologist. For further information visit the Pennsylvania DOT RIWS page.

Pennsylvania Air Monitoring Network - The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Bureau of Air Quality operates this network of 55 stations with locations throughout the state of Pennsylvania. The network provides hourly observations of air temperature, solar radiation, wind speed, and wind direction. Hourly data from this network is included in the Pennsylvania Hourly Mesonet operated by the Pennsylvania State Climatologist. For further information visit the Bureau of Air Quality page.
WHTM WeatherNet - WHTM-TV in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania operates this network of 58 stations located primarily at schools throughout Pennsylvania. The network provides up to 1-minute observations of air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction, precipitation, and barometric pressure. For further information visit the WHTM network page. No map yet.

Precipitation and Radar Networks
Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) - The Colorado Climate Center at Colorado State University overseas this cooperative network of observers located throughout Pennsylvania. The network provides daily observations of precipitation, snowfall, and snow depth. Hailpad observations are also made at many locations. For further information visit the CoCoRaHS home page. No map.

NOAA/National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Hourly Precipitation Data - NOAA/NCEP routinely develops a National Multi-sensor Hourly Precipitation Analysis (Stage II) data set from hourly radar precipitation estimates and from hourly gage reports. The gage data includes hourly observations from ~4000 gages across the US (191 in Pennsylvania) collected by the NOAA River Forecast Centers and sent to NCEP. Further information on these data is available at: http://wwwt.emc.ncep.noaa.gov/mmb/ylin/pcpanl/.

NOAA/NWS Cooperative Observer 15-minute Precipitation Network - The NOAA/NWS routinely collects 15-minute observations of precipitation from Fisher-Porter and Universal rain gages operated by 2777 cooperative observers located throughout the US (165 in Pennsylvania). These data are archived at NOAA/NCDC as data set TD 3260. For further information visit the NOAA/NCDC TD3260 page.

Integrated FLood Observing and Warning System (IFLOWS) Precipitation Network - The IFLOWS precipitation network is a collection of various state operated Automated Flood Warning System (AFWS) networks throughout the mid-Atlantic and northeastern portions of the United States. The network is comprised of 1530 precipitation stations that provide 15-minute observations of precipitation (216 in Pennsylvania). These precipitation data are included as part of the NCEP Precipitation data set described above. For further information visit the AFWS home page.

Weather Surveillance Radar 1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) Network - The NOAA/NWS and the Department of Defence operate this network of 143 WSR-88D radars across the continguous US (2 in Pennsylvania). The Level II data are the three meteorological base data quantities (reflectivitiy, mean radial velocity, and spectrum width) and are recorded at all NWS and most DOD sites. Level II data are then processed in order to create a number of meteorological analysis products known as Level III data. Level III data are recorded at the NWS sites. The Level III products included base reflectivity, base spectrum width, base velocity, composite reflectivity, echo tops, velocity azimuth display (VAD) wind profile, vertically integrated liquid (VIL), 1-hour precipitation, storm total precipitation, hail index overlay, mesocyclone overlay, severe weather probability overlay, storm structure, storm tracking information overlay, and tornadic vortex signature overlay. All Level II and III data are archived at NOAA/NCDC. For further information visit the NOAA/NCDC Radar Resources page at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/radar/radarresources.html or the NOAA Radar Operations Center at: http://www.roc.noaa.gov/.

Radiation and Flux Networks

Surface Radiation (SURFRAD) Budget Network - The SURFRAD network is operated by the NOAA/Air Resources Laboratory (ARL)/Surface Radiation Research Branch (SRRB). The primary parameters measured by each station include upwelling and downwelling solar and infrared radiation. Ancillary observations include direct and diffuse solar radiation, photosynthetically active radiation, UVB, spectral solar, air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction, and barometric pressure. The temporal resolution of all observations is 3 minutes. There are 6 SURFRAD sites currently located across the US (1 in Pennsylvania), with 2 additional sites planned (Sioux Falls, SD and Canaan Valley, WV). For further information visit the SURFRAD home page at: http://www.srrb.noaa.gov/surfrad/.

Soil Networks

Soil Climate Analysis Network (SCAN) - The SCAN is operated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The network provides hourly observations of air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction, solar radiation, precipitation, barometric pressure, snow water content, snow depth, soil temperature (at 2, 4, 8, 20, and 40 cm depths), and soil moisture (at 2, 4, 8, 20 and 40 cm depths). The 80 SCAN stations are located across the US in primarily agricultural regions (2 in Pennsylvania). For further information visit the SCAN home page.

Hydrology Networks

United States Geological Survey (USGS) Streamflow Network - The USGS (part of the US Department of the Interior) operates this network of 7237 streamflow gages (239 in Pennsylvania) at locations throughout the US. The network provides hourly or more frequent observations of stage (water level) from which discharge (flow) is comuputed using a stage-discharge rating relation. The rating is defined by occasional direct current-meter measurements of discharge. All data are available through the USGS and the district offices in each state. Many of these gages provide realtime data relayed via the GOES satellite data collection system. The realtime data are provisional data that have not been reviewed or edited. These realtime data may be subject to significant change and are not citeable until reviewed and approved by the USGS. Realtime data may be changed after review because the stage-discharge relationship may have been affected by: 1) backwater from ice or debris; 2) algal and aquatic growth in the stream; 3) sediment movement; and 4) malfunction of recording equipment. Each station record is considered provisional until the data are published. The data are usually published with 6 months of the end of the water year (1 October to 30 September). Data users are cautioned to consider carefully the provisional nature of the information before using it. For further information on the USGS stremflow network visit the USGS Water Resources of the United States page or the USGS Pennsylvania District Office home page.

Integrated FLood Observing and Warning System (IFLOWS) Streamflow Network - The IFLOWS network is a collection of various state operated Automated Flood Warning System (AFWS) networks throughout the mid-Atlantic and northeastern portions of the United States. The network is comprised of 275 streamflow gages that provide 15-min stage observations (10 in Pennsylvania). For further information visit the AFWS home page.

USDA/ARS Watershed Research - The USDA/ARS operates a number of research watersheds throughout the US. Some of the best instrumented include the Reynolds Creek in Idaho, the Walnut Gulch in Arizona, the Southern Plains Experimental Range in Oklahoma, the Little Washita River in Oklahoma, the Blackland Prairie in Texas, the Goodwater Creek in Missouri, the Walnut Creek in Iowa, Goodwin Creek in Mississippi, the Little River in Georgia, the Oconee River in Georgia, the North Appalachian Watershed in Ohio, the National Agriculture Research Center in Maryland, and the Mahantango Creek in Pennsylvania. Most of these have at least one surface meteorological station and a precipitation gage network. For further information visit the USDA/ARS Watershed Research home page at: http:/www.nwrc.ars.usda.gov/watershed/.

Upper Air Networks

NOAA/NWS Radiosonde Network Low Vertical Resolution Data - The NOAA/NWS typically releases radiosondes twice per day at 0000 and 1200 UTC at 69 locations throughout the US (1 in Pennsylvania). During special weather situations the NWS can request to release additional radiosondes at off-times (e.g. 1800 UTC). The low resolution data is sent out over the Global Telecommunications System (GTS) and provides mandatory and significant level observations of pressure, altitude, temperature, dew point, wind speed, and wind direction. There are 3 types of radiosondes utilized within the US network, Vaisala, VIZ (or Sippican), and Microsonde. These data are archived by NOAA/NCDC and other organizations. For further information on the NWS Radiosonde network visit the NWS Upper-air Observations Program home page. A several year archive of GTS upper air data is available at the NOAA/FSL Radiosonde Database.

NOAA/NWS Radiosonde Network High Vertical Resolution Data - The same radiosonde locations mentioned in the previous data set also provide a 6-second vertical resolution data set that provides observations of pressure, temperature, altitude, relative humidity, and azimuth and elevation angles. UCAR/JOSS has developed software to derive 6-second vertical resolution winds from the angle data. These data are archived by NCDC and UCAR/JOSS.

Ground Based Global Positioning System (GPS) Meteorology Demonstration Network (GPS-MET) - The NOAA/FSL ingests data from 323 GPS locations around the US operated by many different agencies (4 in Pennsylvania). Typically each location provides 30-minute observations of integrated precipitatable water along with a number of surface meteorology parameters (air temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, etc). For further information visit the GPS-MET home page.

Aerosol Networks

Regional East Atmospheric Lidar Mesonet - The Regional East Atmospheric Lidar Mesonet (REALM) is a proposal by a number of lidar researchers and is designed to monitor air quality in the vertical from multiple locations on the east coast. For further information visit the REALM web site. Map at web site.

Coastal Networks

Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System (PORTS) - The National Ocean Service (NOS) operates this network of 51 weather stations with locations within bays and harbors along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coastlines (2 in Pennsylvania). The network provides 15-minute observations of air temperature, wind speed, wind direction, barometric pressure, water temperature, and water level. For further information visit the PORTS home page .

Regional Surface Meteorological Networks
	Click on the maps for larger image


WCAU SchoolNet - WCAU-TV in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania operates this network of 230 stations located at schools throughout Pennsylvania and surrounding states (122 in Pennsylvania). The network provides up to 1-minute observations of air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction, precipitation, and barometric pressure. For further information visit the WCAU network page.	No map yet.

WPXI SchoolNet - WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania operates this network of 63 stations located at schools throughout Pennsylvania and surrounding states (60 in Pennsylvania). The network provides up to 1-minute observations of air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction, precipitation, and barometric pressure. For further information visit the WPXI network page.	No map yet.

WMAR WeatherNet - WMAR-TV in Baltimore, Maryland operates this network of 131 stations located primarily at schools throughout Maryland, eastern Pennsylvania, and Delaware (3 in Pennsylvia). The network provides up to 1-minute observations of air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction, precipitation, and barometric pressure. For further information visit the WMAR network page.	No map yet.
WIVB WeatherNet - WIVB-TV in Buffalo, New York this network of 90 stations located primarily at schools throughout New York and Pennsylvania (3 in Pennsylvania). The network provides up to 1-minute observations of air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction, precipitation, and barometric pressure. For further information visit the WIVB network page.	No map yet.

WBRE WeatherNet - WBRE-TV in Honolulu, Hawaii operates this network of 63 stations located primarily at schools throughout Pennsylvania and 1 in New York. The network provides up to 1-minute observations of air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction, precipitation, and barometric pressure. For further information visit the WBRE network page.	No map yet.

WNBC WeatherNet - WNBC-TV in New York, New York this network of 485 stations located primarily at schools throughout New York, New Jersey and Connecticut (1 in Pennsylvania). The network provides up to 1-minute observations of air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction, precipitation, and barometric pressure. For further information visit the WNBC network page.	No map yet.

State and Local Surface Meteorological Networks

Pennsylvania Hourly Mesonet - The Pennsylvania State Climatologist maintains and archive of hourly weather observations for stations within Pennsylvania. This network includes stations from the NWS ASOS, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Roadway Weather Information System (RWIS) the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Air Monitoring System, and the NWS Buoy Networks. For further information visit the Pennsylvania Hourly Mesonet home page.	Map

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (DOT) Road Weather Information System (RWIS) Network - The Pennsylvania DOT operates this network of 75 stations with locations along highways throughout the state of Pennsylvania. The network provides variable (hourly or higher) resolution observations of air temperature, dew point, relative humidity, and wind speed. Hourly data from this network is included in the Pennsylvania Hourly Mesonet operated by the Pennsylvania State Climatologist. For further information visit the Pennsylvania DOT RIWS page.

Pennsylvania Air Monitoring Network - The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Bureau of Air Quality operates this network of 55 stations with locations throughout the state of Pennsylvania. The network provides hourly observations of air temperature, solar radiation, wind speed, and wind direction. Hourly data from this network is included in the Pennsylvania Hourly Mesonet operated by the Pennsylvania State Climatologist. For further information visit the Bureau of Air Quality page.
WHTM WeatherNet - WHTM-TV in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania operates this network of 58 stations located primarily at schools throughout Pennsylvania. The network provides up to 1-minute observations of air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction, precipitation, and barometric pressure. For further information visit the WHTM network page.	No map yet.

Precipitation and Radar Networks
Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) - The Colorado Climate Center at Colorado State University overseas this cooperative network of observers located throughout Pennsylvania. The network provides daily observations of precipitation, snowfall, and snow depth. Hailpad observations are also made at many locations. For further information visit the CoCoRaHS home page.	No map.

NOAA/National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Hourly Precipitation Data - NOAA/NCEP routinely develops a National Multi-sensor Hourly Precipitation Analysis (Stage II) data set from hourly radar precipitation estimates and from hourly gage reports. The gage data includes hourly observations from ~4000 gages across the US (191 in Pennsylvania) collected by the NOAA River Forecast Centers and sent to NCEP. Further information on these data is available at: http://wwwt.emc.ncep.noaa.gov/mmb/ylin/pcpanl/.

NOAA/NWS Cooperative Observer 15-minute Precipitation Network - The NOAA/NWS routinely collects 15-minute observations of precipitation from Fisher-Porter and Universal rain gages operated by 2777 cooperative observers located throughout the US (165 in Pennsylvania). These data are archived at NOAA/NCDC as data set TD 3260. For further information visit the NOAA/NCDC TD3260 page.

Integrated FLood Observing and Warning System (IFLOWS) Precipitation Network - The IFLOWS precipitation network is a collection of various state operated Automated Flood Warning System (AFWS) networks throughout the mid-Atlantic and northeastern portions of the United States. The network is comprised of 1530 precipitation stations that provide 15-minute observations of precipitation (216 in Pennsylvania). These precipitation data are included as part of the NCEP Precipitation data set described above. For further information visit the AFWS home page.

Weather Surveillance Radar 1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) Network - The NOAA/NWS and the Department of Defence operate this network of 143 WSR-88D radars across the continguous US (2 in Pennsylvania). The Level II data are the three meteorological base data quantities (reflectivitiy, mean radial velocity, and spectrum width) and are recorded at all NWS and most DOD sites. Level II data are then processed in order to create a number of meteorological analysis products known as Level III data. Level III data are recorded at the NWS sites. The Level III products included base reflectivity, base spectrum width, base velocity, composite reflectivity, echo tops, velocity azimuth display (VAD) wind profile, vertically integrated liquid (VIL), 1-hour precipitation, storm total precipitation, hail index overlay, mesocyclone overlay, severe weather probability overlay, storm structure, storm tracking information overlay, and tornadic vortex signature overlay. All Level II and III data are archived at NOAA/NCDC. For further information visit the NOAA/NCDC Radar Resources page at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/radar/radarresources.html or the NOAA Radar Operations Center at: http://www.roc.noaa.gov/.

Radiation and Flux Networks

Surface Radiation (SURFRAD) Budget Network - The SURFRAD network is operated by the NOAA/Air Resources Laboratory (ARL)/Surface Radiation Research Branch (SRRB). The primary parameters measured by each station include upwelling and downwelling solar and infrared radiation. Ancillary observations include direct and diffuse solar radiation, photosynthetically active radiation, UVB, spectral solar, air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction, and barometric pressure. The temporal resolution of all observations is 3 minutes. There are 6 SURFRAD sites currently located across the US (1 in Pennsylvania), with 2 additional sites planned (Sioux Falls, SD and Canaan Valley, WV). For further information visit the SURFRAD home page at: http://www.srrb.noaa.gov/surfrad/.

Soil Networks

Soil Climate Analysis Network (SCAN) - The SCAN is operated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The network provides hourly observations of air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction, solar radiation, precipitation, barometric pressure, snow water content, snow depth, soil temperature (at 2, 4, 8, 20, and 40 cm depths), and soil moisture (at 2, 4, 8, 20 and 40 cm depths). The 80 SCAN stations are located across the US in primarily agricultural regions (2 in Pennsylvania). For further information visit the SCAN home page.

Hydrology Networks

United States Geological Survey (USGS) Streamflow Network - The USGS (part of the US Department of the Interior) operates this network of 7237 streamflow gages (239 in Pennsylvania) at locations throughout the US. The network provides hourly or more frequent observations of stage (water level) from which discharge (flow) is comuputed using a stage-discharge rating relation. The rating is defined by occasional direct current-meter measurements of discharge. All data are available through the USGS and the district offices in each state. Many of these gages provide realtime data relayed via the GOES satellite data collection system. The realtime data are provisional data that have not been reviewed or edited. These realtime data may be subject to significant change and are not citeable until reviewed and approved by the USGS. Realtime data may be changed after review because the stage-discharge relationship may have been affected by: 1) backwater from ice or debris; 2) algal and aquatic growth in the stream; 3) sediment movement; and 4) malfunction of recording equipment. Each station record is considered provisional until the data are published. The data are usually published with 6 months of the end of the water year (1 October to 30 September). Data users are cautioned to consider carefully the provisional nature of the information before using it. For further information on the USGS stremflow network visit the USGS Water Resources of the United States page or the USGS Pennsylvania District Office home page.

Integrated FLood Observing and Warning System (IFLOWS) Streamflow Network - The IFLOWS network is a collection of various state operated Automated Flood Warning System (AFWS) networks throughout the mid-Atlantic and northeastern portions of the United States. The network is comprised of 275 streamflow gages that provide 15-min stage observations (10 in Pennsylvania). For further information visit the AFWS home page.

USDA/ARS Watershed Research - The USDA/ARS operates a number of research watersheds throughout the US. Some of the best instrumented include the Reynolds Creek in Idaho, the Walnut Gulch in Arizona, the Southern Plains Experimental Range in Oklahoma, the Little Washita River in Oklahoma, the Blackland Prairie in Texas, the Goodwater Creek in Missouri, the Walnut Creek in Iowa, Goodwin Creek in Mississippi, the Little River in Georgia, the Oconee River in Georgia, the North Appalachian Watershed in Ohio, the National Agriculture Research Center in Maryland, and the Mahantango Creek in Pennsylvania. Most of these have at least one surface meteorological station and a precipitation gage network. For further information visit the USDA/ARS Watershed Research home page at: http:/www.nwrc.ars.usda.gov/watershed/.

Upper Air Networks

NOAA/NWS Radiosonde Network Low Vertical Resolution Data - The NOAA/NWS typically releases radiosondes twice per day at 0000 and 1200 UTC at 69 locations throughout the US (1 in Pennsylvania). During special weather situations the NWS can request to release additional radiosondes at off-times (e.g. 1800 UTC). The low resolution data is sent out over the Global Telecommunications System (GTS) and provides mandatory and significant level observations of pressure, altitude, temperature, dew point, wind speed, and wind direction. There are 3 types of radiosondes utilized within the US network, Vaisala, VIZ (or Sippican), and Microsonde. These data are archived by NOAA/NCDC and other organizations. For further information on the NWS Radiosonde network visit the NWS Upper-air Observations Program home page. A several year archive of GTS upper air data is available at the NOAA/FSL Radiosonde Database.

NOAA/NWS Radiosonde Network High Vertical Resolution Data - The same radiosonde locations mentioned in the previous data set also provide a 6-second vertical resolution data set that provides observations of pressure, temperature, altitude, relative humidity, and azimuth and elevation angles. UCAR/JOSS has developed software to derive 6-second vertical resolution winds from the angle data. These data are archived by NCDC and UCAR/JOSS.

Ground Based Global Positioning System (GPS) Meteorology Demonstration Network (GPS-MET) - The NOAA/FSL ingests data from 323 GPS locations around the US operated by many different agencies (4 in Pennsylvania). Typically each location provides 30-minute observations of integrated precipitatable water along with a number of surface meteorology parameters (air temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, etc). For further information visit the GPS-MET home page.

Aerosol Networks

Regional East Atmospheric Lidar Mesonet - The Regional East Atmospheric Lidar Mesonet (REALM) is a proposal by a number of lidar researchers and is designed to monitor air quality in the vertical from multiple locations on the east coast. For further information visit the REALM web site.	Map at web site.

Coastal Networks

Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System (PORTS) - The National Ocean Service (NOS) operates this network of 51 weather stations with locations within bays and harbors along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coastlines (2 in Pennsylvania). The network provides 15-minute observations of air temperature, wind speed, wind direction, barometric pressure, water temperature, and water level. For further information visit the PORTS home page .