Climate Data

Website: https://climatedata.ca/

1.0 Record Formats

The Canadian climatological data records are archived at various time intervals:

  1. Daily Record of Hourly Data (HLY)

  2. Monthly Record of Daily Data (DLY)

  3. Annual Record of Monthly Data (MLY)

  4. Daily Record of 15-Minute Data (FIF)

  5. Hourly Record of Minutely Data (MIN)

2.0 Data Field Descriptions

  • Climate Identifier (Unique station number)

  • Element Number (Measurement type such as temperature, wind, precipitation)

  • Data Value Field (Recorded values)

  • Day Flag (Metadata about the data, indicating missing values, trace amounts, or estimation)

3.0 Archive Files

Climatological data is stored in different formats:

  • Hourly Weather Data (HLY01)

  • Rate of Rainfall (HLY03, DLY03)

  • Daily Climatological Data (DLY02, DLY04)

  • Monthly Climatological Data (MLY04)

  • Solar Radiation (HLY11, MIN11)

  • Soil Temperature (DLY12, HLY12)

  • Wind Data (HLY15)

  • Precipitation (Fischer/Porter) Data (FIF21, HLY21, DLY21)

4.0 Upper Air Data (UAS/UAW)

Includes atmospheric data collected at different altitudes:

  • Pressure

  • Altitude

  • Temperature

  • Wind Speed and Direction

5.0 Table of Flags

Flags indicate data validity and quality control:

  • Blank: Valid data

  • M: Missing data

  • T: Trace amounts detected

  • E: Estimated values

  • H: Freezing conditions

6.0 Notes

  • Changes in climatological day definitions

  • Time zone adjustments for data reporting

  • Instrument details used for measurements

7.0 Document Versions

  • The document includes historical versions of data collection formats.

  • Most recent update: January 16, 2023.

Examples of Data Records

  1. Hourly Data Example (HLY)

    • Positions 1-7: Climate Station ID

    • Positions 8-11: Year

    • Positions 12-13: Month

    • Positions 14-15: Day

    • Positions 16-18: Element Number (e.g., Temperature, Rainfall)

    • Positions 19-24: Data Value (e.g., 0.3 mm of Rainfall)

    • Positions 25: Flag (if any)

  2. Monthly Data Example (MLY)

    • Monthly total snowfall: 11.2 cm

    • Temperature values are presented in Celsius

    • Precipitation values measured in mm

Applications of the Data

This dataset is critical for:

  1. Climate Research & Analysis

    • Identifying trends in temperature, precipitation, and extreme events.

  2. Forecasting & AI Models

    • Training AI models for heatwave prediction.

  3. Water Resource Management

    • Hydroclimate monitoring for reservoirs and drought analysis.

  4. Disaster Resilience & Urban Planning

    • City infrastructure planning for extreme climate adaptation.

https://climate.weather.gc.ca/doc/Technical_Documentation.pdf
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