Tennessee Hydrometeorological Networks

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Regional Surface Meteorological Networks

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Meteorological Network - TVA operates this network of 3 meteorological stations at power plants in Tennessee and Alabama (2 in Tennessee). The network provides hourly observations of air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction (all at several vertical levels), solar radiation, and precipitation. For further information visit the TVA home page.

Alabama Mesonet - The Alabama A&M University operates this network of 11 combination meteorological and soil stations (3 in Tennessee). The combination stations are included within the USDA/NRCS Soil Climate Analysis Network. See that description below. For further information visit the ALMNet home page.

WREG WeatherNet - WREG-TV in Memphis, Tennessee operates this network of 39 stations located primarily at schools throughout western Tennessee (30 in Tennessee). 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 WREG network page.

WTVC WeatherNet - WTVC-TV in Chattanooga, Tennessee operates this network of 36 stations located primarily at schools throughout southern Tennessee and norther Georgia (25 in Tennessee). 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 WTVC network page.
WCYB WeatherNet - WCYB-TV in Brisol, Tri-Cities, Virginia operates this network of 59 stations located primarily at schools throughout Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and one in Kentucky (20 in Tennessee). 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 WCYB network page. No map yet.

WHNT WeatherNet - WHNT-TV in Huntsville, Alabama operates this network of 22 stations located primarily at schools throughout northern Alabama and southern Tennessee (4 in Tennessee). 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 WHNT network page.

State and Local Surface Meteorological Networks

Road Weather Information System (RWIS) - The Tennessee Department of Transportation (DOT) operates this network of 20 stations located along throughout Tennessee. The network provides variable temporal resolution observations of air temperature, relative humidity, dew point, wind speed, wind direction, visibility, and precipitation (yes/no). For further information visit the Surface Systems, Inc Road Weather page. Map at Web Site

East Tennessee Ozone Study (ETOS) Network - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion Division (ATDD) operates this network of 21 meteorological towers throughout eastern Tennessee. The network provides at least hourly observations of air temperature, wind speed, wind direction, relative humidity, and precipitation. For further information visit the ETOS Tower home page. No map.

Precipitation and Radar Networks

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 (155 in Tennessee) 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 (44 in Tennessee). These data are archived at NOAA/NCDC as data set TD 3260. For further information visit the NOAA/NCDC TD3260 page at: http://ols.nndc.noaa.gov/plolstore/plsql/olstore.prodspecific?prodnum=C00505-TAP-A0001

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 (45 in Tennessee). These precipitation data are included as part of the NCEP Precipitation data set described above. For further information visit the AFWS home page.

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Precipitation Network - TVA operates this network of 243 precipitation gages throughout its service area in the southeastern US (131 in Tennessee). The network provides 6-hourly observations of precipitation. For further information visit the TVA home page.

Weather Surveillance Radar 1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) Network - The NOAA/NWS and the Department of Defense operate this network of 143 WSR-88D radars across the contiguous US (3 in Tennessee). The Level II data are the three meteorological base data quantities (reflectivity, 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

Integrated Surface Irradiance Study (ISIS) Network - The ISIS network is operated by the NOAA Air Resources Laboratory (ARL) Surface Radiation Research Branch (SRRB). The network provides 3 minute observations of downwelling global solar, direct solar, downwelling diffuse solar and global UVB. There are 9 ISIS sites located across the US (1 in Tennessee). For further information visit the ISIS home page at: http://www.srrb.noaa.gov/isis/.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Ultraviolet Monitoring Program (UV-Net) - The EPA operates this network of 20 Brewer spectrophotometers throughout the US (1 in Tennessee). The network provides observations of full-sky spectrally resolved solar radiation in the UV-B and UV-A bands. The irradiance and total column ozone concentrations are derived from these data. For further information visit the EPA UV-Net page.

Ameriflux Network - The Ameriflux network consists of 54 sites conducting long-term measurements of CO2, water and energy fluxes throughout the US (2 in Tennessee). The typical observational frequency is 30 minutes. The parameters measured at each site vary, but Ameriflux has defined a core set of parameters that most sites collect, including fluxes of CO2, energy and water, basic meteorological and radiation parameters, and soil temperature and moisture. For further information visit the Ameriflux home page or the NOAA Air Resources Laboratory Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion Division Surface Exchange Sites web page.

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 (8 in Alabama). For further information visit the SCAN home page.

Alabama Mesonet - The Alabama A&M University (AAMU) operates this network of 11 combination meteorological and soil stations (3 in Tennessee). The combination stations are included within the USDA/NRCS Soil Climate Analysis Network. See that description above. For further information visit the Alabama Mesonet 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 (91 in Tennessee) at locations throughout the US. The network provides hourly or more frequent observations of stage (water level) from which discharge (flow) is computed 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 streamflow network visit the USGS Water Resources of the United States page or the USGS Tennessee 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 (2 in Tennessee). For further information visit the AFWS home page.

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 Tennessee). 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 (2 in Tennessee). 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.

Other Networks

Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) - AERONET is an optical ground-based aerosol monitoring network and data archive supported by NASA's Earth Observing System. The network hardware consists of identical automatic sun-sky scanning spectral radiometers owned by national agencies and universities. Data from this collaboration provides globally distributed (1 in Tennessee) near real time observations of aerosol spectral optical depths, aerosol size distributions and precipitable water. For further information visit the AERONET home page.

Regional Surface Meteorological Networks
	Click on the maps for larger image


Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Meteorological Network - TVA operates this network of 3 meteorological stations at power plants in Tennessee and Alabama (2 in Tennessee). The network provides hourly observations of air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction (all at several vertical levels), solar radiation, and precipitation. For further information visit the TVA home page.

Alabama Mesonet - The Alabama A&M University operates this network of 11 combination meteorological and soil stations (3 in Tennessee). The combination stations are included within the USDA/NRCS Soil Climate Analysis Network. See that description below. For further information visit the ALMNet home page.

WREG WeatherNet - WREG-TV in Memphis, Tennessee operates this network of 39 stations located primarily at schools throughout western Tennessee (30 in Tennessee). 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 WREG network page.

WTVC WeatherNet - WTVC-TV in Chattanooga, Tennessee operates this network of 36 stations located primarily at schools throughout southern Tennessee and norther Georgia (25 in Tennessee). 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 WTVC network page.
WCYB WeatherNet - WCYB-TV in Brisol, Tri-Cities, Virginia operates this network of 59 stations located primarily at schools throughout Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and one in Kentucky (20 in Tennessee). 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 WCYB network page.	No map yet.

WHNT WeatherNet - WHNT-TV in Huntsville, Alabama operates this network of 22 stations located primarily at schools throughout northern Alabama and southern Tennessee (4 in Tennessee). 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 WHNT network page.

State and Local Surface Meteorological Networks

Road Weather Information System (RWIS) - The Tennessee Department of Transportation (DOT) operates this network of 20 stations located along throughout Tennessee. The network provides variable temporal resolution observations of air temperature, relative humidity, dew point, wind speed, wind direction, visibility, and precipitation (yes/no). For further information visit the Surface Systems, Inc Road Weather page.	Map at Web Site

East Tennessee Ozone Study (ETOS) Network - The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion Division (ATDD) operates this network of 21 meteorological towers throughout eastern Tennessee. The network provides at least hourly observations of air temperature, wind speed, wind direction, relative humidity, and precipitation. For further information visit the ETOS Tower home page.	No map.

Precipitation and Radar Networks

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 (155 in Tennessee) 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 (44 in Tennessee). These data are archived at NOAA/NCDC as data set TD 3260. For further information visit the NOAA/NCDC TD3260 page at: http://ols.nndc.noaa.gov/plolstore/plsql/olstore.prodspecific?prodnum=C00505-TAP-A0001

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 (45 in Tennessee). These precipitation data are included as part of the NCEP Precipitation data set described above. For further information visit the AFWS home page.

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Precipitation Network - TVA operates this network of 243 precipitation gages throughout its service area in the southeastern US (131 in Tennessee). The network provides 6-hourly observations of precipitation. For further information visit the TVA home page.

Weather Surveillance Radar 1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) Network - The NOAA/NWS and the Department of Defense operate this network of 143 WSR-88D radars across the contiguous US (3 in Tennessee). The Level II data are the three meteorological base data quantities (reflectivity, 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

Integrated Surface Irradiance Study (ISIS) Network - The ISIS network is operated by the NOAA Air Resources Laboratory (ARL) Surface Radiation Research Branch (SRRB). The network provides 3 minute observations of downwelling global solar, direct solar, downwelling diffuse solar and global UVB. There are 9 ISIS sites located across the US (1 in Tennessee). For further information visit the ISIS home page at: http://www.srrb.noaa.gov/isis/.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Ultraviolet Monitoring Program (UV-Net) - The EPA operates this network of 20 Brewer spectrophotometers throughout the US (1 in Tennessee). The network provides observations of full-sky spectrally resolved solar radiation in the UV-B and UV-A bands. The irradiance and total column ozone concentrations are derived from these data. For further information visit the EPA UV-Net page.

Ameriflux Network - The Ameriflux network consists of 54 sites conducting long-term measurements of CO2, water and energy fluxes throughout the US (2 in Tennessee). The typical observational frequency is 30 minutes. The parameters measured at each site vary, but Ameriflux has defined a core set of parameters that most sites collect, including fluxes of CO2, energy and water, basic meteorological and radiation parameters, and soil temperature and moisture. For further information visit the Ameriflux home page or the NOAA Air Resources Laboratory Atmospheric Turbulence and Diffusion Division Surface Exchange Sites web page.

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 (8 in Alabama). For further information visit the SCAN home page.

Alabama Mesonet - The Alabama A&M University (AAMU) operates this network of 11 combination meteorological and soil stations (3 in Tennessee). The combination stations are included within the USDA/NRCS Soil Climate Analysis Network. See that description above. For further information visit the Alabama Mesonet 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 (91 in Tennessee) at locations throughout the US. The network provides hourly or more frequent observations of stage (water level) from which discharge (flow) is computed 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 streamflow network visit the USGS Water Resources of the United States page or the USGS Tennessee 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 (2 in Tennessee). For further information visit the AFWS home page.

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 Tennessee). 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 (2 in Tennessee). 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.

Other Networks

Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) - AERONET is an optical ground-based aerosol monitoring network and data archive supported by NASA's Earth Observing System. The network hardware consists of identical automatic sun-sky scanning spectral radiometers owned by national agencies and universities. Data from this collaboration provides globally distributed (1 in Tennessee) near real time observations of aerosol spectral optical depths, aerosol size distributions and precipitable water. For further information visit the AERONET home page.