Archived NEXRAD Storm Attributes Shapefiles

The IEM attempts to process and archive the Storm Attribute Table that is produced by the RADARs that are a part of the NEXRAD network. This page allows you to selectively download these attributes from the IEM database in shapefile format. Holes do exist in this archive! If you find a data hole and would like it filled, please let us know.

The National Climatic Data Center now has a very impressive archive and interface to download these attributes. You can find it on their Severe Weather Data Inventory. For programic access, check out their web services.

The archive behind this application is large, so please be patient after clicking the Givme button below. If you request all RADARs, you can only request up to seven days worth of data. If you can request a single RADAR, there is no date restriction, but the download will be slow! Backend documentation exists for those wishing to script against this service.

View Histograms

Select time interval

(Times are in UTC.)
RADAR SiteTime Interval Format
YearMonthDay HourMinute
Start:
End:

Shapefile DBF schema:

Field 0: Type=C/String, Title='VALID', Timestamp in UTC
Field 1: Type=C/String, Title='STORM_ID', 2 character Storm ID
Field 2: Type=C/String, Title='NEXRAD', 3 character NEXRAD ID
Field 3: Type=N/Integer, Title='AZIMUTH', Azimuth of storm in degrees from North
Field 4: Type=N/Integer, Title='RANGE', Range of storm in miles from RDA
Field 5: Type=C/String, Title='TVS', Tornado Vortex Signature
Field 6: Type=C/String, Title='MESO', Mesocyclone strength (1=weak,25=strongest)
Field 7: Type=N/Integer, Title='POSH', Probability of Hail
Field 8: Type=N/Integer, Title='POH', Probability of Hail
Field 9: Type=N/Double, Title='MAX_SIZE', Maximum Hail Size inch
Field 10: Type=N/Integer, Title='VIL', Volume Integrated Liquid kg/m3
Field 11: Type=N/Integer, Title='MAX_DBZ', max dbZ
Field 12: Type=N/Double, Title='MAX_DBZ_H', Height of Max dbZ in thousands of feet
Field 13: Type=N/Double, Title='TOP', Storm Top in thousands of feet
Field 14: Type=N/Integer, Title='DRCT', Motion Direction degrees from North
Field 15: Type=N/Integer, Title='SKNT', Speed in knots
Field 16: Type=N/Double, Title='LAT', Latitude
Field 17: Type=N/Double, Title='LON', Longitude

Archive notes:

Attribute Speed & Direction Histograms

Based on the archive built by the IEM, the following are 2-D Histograms comparing RADAR storm attribute speed, direction of travel, and day of the year. A direction of "west" would represent a storm moving from west to east.

Select RADAR:
Histogram