User's Manual for

•
I

Derived from the

1961-1990
National Solar
Radiation Data Base
William Marion and Ken Urban

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

1617 Cole Boulevard
Golden, Colorado 80401-3393
A national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy
Managed by Midwest Research Institute
.,. . for the U.S. Department of Energy
til\~S\t~ . Under Contract No. D~6-83CH10093
w D&TAIBUTION OF THfS DOCUMENT IS UNLIMITED June 1995
NOTICE

This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States government.
Neither the United States government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any
warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness,
or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would
not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or
service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its
endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States government or any agency thereof. The
views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United
States government or any agency thereof.

Printed in the United States of America

Available to DOE and DOE contractors from:

Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI)
P.O. Box 62
Oak Ridge, TN 37831
Prices available by calling (615) 576-8401

Available from:
National Technical Information Service
U.S. Department of Commerce
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA 22161
(703) 487-4650

Information pertaining to the pricing codes can be found in the current issue of the following publications
which are generally available in most libraries: Government Reports Announcements and Index ( GRA
and~; Scientific and Technical Abstract Reports (STAR); and publication NTIS-PR-360 available from NTIS
at the above address .

.,..
f.J Printed with a renewable source ink on paper containing at least 50% wastepaper, including 20% postconsumer waste
 DISCLAIMER

Portions of this document may be illegible

in electronic image products. Images are
produced from the best available original
document.
Preface
This user's manual describes typical meteorological year (TMY) data sets derived
from the 1961-1990 National Solar Radiation Data Base (NSRDB). Because they
are based on more recent and accurate data and will make possible more accurate
performance and economic analyses of energy systems, these data sets are
recommended for use in place of earlier TMY data sets derived from the 1952-
1975 SOLMET/ERSATZ data base.

To distinguish between the old and new TMY data sets, the new TMY data sets
are referred to as TMY2s. TMY and TMY2 data sets cannot be used
interchangeably because of differences in time (solar versus local), formats,
elements, and units. Unless they are revised, computer programs designed for
TMY data will not work with TMY2 data.

The TMY2s are data sets of hourly values of solar radiation and meteorological
elements for a 1-year period. Their intended use is for computer simulations of
solar energy conversion systems and building systems to facilitate performance
comparisons of different system types, configurations, and locations in the United
States and its territories. Because they represent typical rather than extreme
conditions, they are not suited for designing systems to meet the worst-case
conditions occurring at a location.

The TMY2 data sets and this manual were produced by the National Renewable
Energy Laboratory's (NREL's) Analytic Studies Division under the Resource
Assessment Program, which is funded and monitored by the U.S. Department of
Energy's Office of Solar Energy Conversion.

Approved for the

NATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY LABORATORY

Thomas D. Bath, Director Dave Renne, Manager

Analytic Studies Division Resource Assessment Program

iii
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge NREL staff members Steve Wilcox,
Martin Rymes, Mary Anne Dunlap, Lisa Shertz, Craig Robben, Carol Riordan,
Dave Renne, Gene Maxwell, Tom Stoffel, Chris Cornwall, Eric Hammond,
Roland Hulstrom, Daryl Myers, and Chet Wells and National Climatic Data
Center staff member Marc Plantico for their contributions to the development of
the TMY2 data sets and user's manual.

Other individuals also reviewed NREL's plans to generate the TMY2 data sets
and provided valuable recommendations. This feedback early in the project
permitted efforts to be focused on maximizing the benefits of the TMY2s for
users. We are thankful for the efforts of these individuals, whose names and
affiliations are: Raymond Bahm (Raymond J. Bahm and Associates), William
Beckman (University of Wisconsin), Larry Degelman (Texas A&M University),
Nolan Doesken (Colorado State University), Randy Gee (Industrial Solar
Technology Corporation), Chris Gueymard (Florida Solar Energy Center), Doug
Hittle (Colorado State University), Michael Holtz (Architectural Energy
Corporation), Michael Kennedy (Ecotope), Ed Kern (Ascension Technology,
Inc.), Sandy Klein (University of Wisconsin), Jan Kreider (University of
Colorado), Hans Lund (Technical University of Denmark), Ken May (Industrial
Solar Technology Corporation), Dave Menicucci (Sandia National Laboratories),
John Schaefer (Consultant), Arvid Skartveit (Geophysical Institute, Norway),
Veronica Soebarto (Texas A&M University), Didier Thevenard (Watsun
Simulation Laboratory), Mike Thomas (Sandia National Laboratories), and Frank
Vignola (University of Oregon).

IV
Contents

Preface iii

Acknowledgments iv

Section 1 Overview 1
Typical Meteorological Year-A Description 1
NSRDB-Source of Data for the TMY2s 2
Methodology 4
TMY2 Station Classification 4
Data Elements 5
Where to Order 6
References 7

Section 2 Stations 9
Locations 9
NSRDB Classification 9
TMY2 Classification 9

Section 3 Data and Format 17

File Convention 17
File Header 17
Hourly Records 17
Missing Data 22
Source and Uncertainty Flags 22

Section 4 Comparison with Long-Term Data Sets 25

Solar Radiation Comparisons 25
Heating and Cooling Degree Day Comparisons 29
References 32

Appendix A Procedures for Developing TMY2s 33

Sandia Method 33
Weighting and Indice Modifications 35
El Chichon Years 36
Leap Years 37
Preference for Months with Measured Solar Radiation Data 37
Month Interface Smoothing 37
Allowance for Missing Data 37
Data-Filling Methods 39

V
Appendix A (Continued)
Quality Control 41
Calculation of Illuminance Data 42
Assignment of Source and Uncertainty Flags 42
References 44

Appendix B Key to Present Weather Elements 45

Present Weather Elements in the TMY2 Format 46

Appendix C Unit Conversion Factors 49

vi
SECTION 1

Overview
This user's manual describes typical meteorological year (TMY) data sets derived
from the 1961-1990 National Solar Radiation Data Base (NSRDB). Based on
more recent and accurate data, these data sets are recommended for use in place of
earlier TMY data sets (NCDC 1981) that were derived from the 1952-1975
SOLMET/ERSATZ data base (SOLMET-Vol. 1 1978 and SOLMET-Vol. 2
1979). To distinguish between the two TMY data sets, the new TMY data sets are
referred to as TMY2s.

TMY and TMY2 data sets cannot be used interchangeably because of differences
in time (solar versus local), formats, elements, and units. Unless they are revised,
programs designed for TMY data will not work with TMY2 data.

Section 1 of the manual provides general information about the TMY2s and how
they were developed; Section 2 lists the stations and provides station identifying
information and classification; Section 3 details the contents of the TMY2 files
and provides the location in the hourly records of data values and their source and
uncertainty flags; Section 4 compares the TMY2s with 30-year data sets;
Appendix A provides a description of the procedures used to develop the TMY2s;
Appendix B provides a key for present weather elements; and Appendix C
contains a table of unit conversion factors for converting SI data to other units.

Typical Meteorological Year-A Description

A TMY is a data set of hourly values of solar radiation and meteorological
elements for a I-year period. It consists of months selected from individual years
and concatenated to form a complete year. The intended use is for computer
simulations of solar energy conversion systems and building systems. Because of
the selection criteria, TMY s are not appropriate for simulations of wind energy
conversion systems.

A TMY provides a standard for hourly data for solar radiation and other
meteorological elements that permit performance comparisons of system types
and configurations for one or more locations. A TMY is not necessarily a good
indicator of conditions over the next year, or even the next 5 years. Rather, it
represents conditions judged to be typical over a long period of time, such as 30
years. Because they represent typical rather than extreme conditions, they are not
suited for designing systems and their components to meet the worst-case
conditions occurring at a location.

Overview - 1
 NSRDB-Source of Data for the TMY2s
The TMY2s were derived from the NSRDB, Version 1.1, which was completed in
March 1994 by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The NSRDB
contains hourly values of measured or modeled solar radiation and meteorological
data for 239 stations for the 30-year period from 1961-1990. A complete
description of the NSRDB and how it was produced is presented in its user's
manual (NSRDB-Vol. 1 1992) and the final technical report (NSRDB-Vol. 2
1995). The original version of the NSRDB, Version 1.0, was completed in August
1992. Version 1.1 corrects two types of minor errors in Version 1. 0 that affected
about 10% of the stations (Rymes 1994).

There are two types of stations in the NSRDB: primary (denoted by asterisks in
the station map in Figure 1-1) and secondary (denoted by dots in the station map
in Figure 1-1). The 56 primary stations measured solar radiation for a part (from 1
to 27 years) of the 30-year period. The remaining 183 stations, designated as
secondary stations, made no solar radiation measurements and therefore use
modeled solar radiation data that are derived from meteorological data, such as
cloud cover. Both primary and secondary stations are National Weather Service
stations that collected meteorological data for the period 1961-1990.

Succeeding the older 1952-1975 SOLMET/ERSATZ data base, the NSRDB

accounts for any recent climate changes and provides more accurate values of
solar radiation for several reasons:

• Better model for estimating values (More than 90% of the solar radiation
data in both data bases are modeled.)
• More measured data, some of which is direct normal radiation
• lmproved instrument calibration methods
• Rigorous procedures for assessing quality of data.

A comparison of the old and new data bases provided an incentive for developing
the TMY2s. On an annual basis, 40% of the NSRDB and SOLMET/ERSATZ
stations are in disagreement for global horizontal radiation by more than 5%, with
some stations showing disagreement of up to 18% (Marion and Myers 1992). For
direct normal radiation, 60% of the NSRDB and SOLMET/ERSATZ stations are
in disagreement by more than 5%, with some stations showing disagreement of
up to 33%. Disagreement between the two data bases is even greater when
compared on a monthly basis.

An analysis of cloud cover data indicated little or no change for the two periods;
consequently, most of the disagreement for NSRDB and SOLMET/ERSATZ data
is attributed to differences in reconstructing the instrument calibrations and
differences in the solar radiation models (NSRDB-Vol. 2 1995).

Overview - 2
 •• tf'.J>··

Figure 1-1. Map showing the 239 stations in the National Solar Radiation Data Base, whose data were used to derive the TMY2s
 Because of differences in the data bases from which they were derived, the old
TMYs and the new TMY2s will differ. For some stations, the differences may be
minor, but other stations will have large differences.

Methodology
Except for a few changes to the weighting criteria, which accounts for the relative
importance of the solar radiation and meteorological elements, the TMY2s were
created using similar procedures that were developed by Sandia National
Laboratories (Hall et al. 1978) to create the original TMYs from the 1952-1975
SOLMET/ERSATZ data. Studies by Freeman (1979), Siurna, D' Andrea, and
Hollands (1984), and Menicucci and Fernandez (1988) have shown that this
procedure gives reasonable results. Sandia's procedure has also been adopted by
Siurna, D' Andrea, and Hollands (1984) for developing TMYs for Canada.

The Sandia method is an empirical approach that selects individual months from
different years from the period of record. For example, in the case of the NSRDB
that contains 30 years of data, all 30 Januarys are examined, and the one judged
most typical is selected to be included in the TMY. The other months of the year
are treated in a like manner, and then the 12 selected typical months are
concatenated to form a complete year.

The 12 selected typical months for each station were chosen from statistics
determined by using five elements: global horizontal radiation, direct normal
radiation, dry bulb temperature, dew point temperature, and wind speed. These
elements are considered the most important for simulation of solar energy
conversion systems and building systems.

For other elements in the TMY2s, the selected months may or may not be typical.
Cloud cover, which correlates well with solar radiation, is probably reasonably
typical. Other elements, such as snow depth, are not related to the elements used
for selection; consequently, their values may not be typical. Even though wind
speed was used in the selection of the typical months, its relatively low weighting
with respect to the other weighted elements prevents it from being sufficiently
typical for simulation of wind energy conversion systems.

Appendix A contains a more detailed description of the procedures used to

develop the TMY2s.

TMY2 Station Classification

The TMY2 station classification pertains to the amount of measured
meteorological data available for a station to select typical months to form the
typical meteorological year. Of a possible 30 candidate months, Class A stations
had a minimum of 15 candidate months, without more than 2 consecutive hours of
missing data, from which a typical month was selected. For Class B stations to

Overview -4
achieve a minimum of 15 candidate months, data filling for periods of up to 47
hours were required. For some elements not required for the selection of the
typical meteorological months, the data are unfilled in the TMY2 data files. The
elements horizontal visibility, ceiling height, and present weather may be missing
for up to 2 consecutive hours for Class A stations and for up to 47 hours for Class
B stations. No data are missing for more than 47 hours, except for snow depth and
days since last snowfall for Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Data Elements
Table 1-1 shows the data elements in the TMY2 data files. These are the same
elements as for the 30-year NSRDB, except that illuminance and luminance
elements were added to support building energy analysis. The table includes
information by element and station classification to alert the user to the possibility
of missing data. Definitions of the elements and their units are provided in Table
3-2 of Section 3.

Table 1-1. TMY2 Data Elements and Their Degree of Completeness

Data Completeness
Element Class A Class B
Extraterrestrial Horizontal Radiation 1 1
Extraterrestrial Direct Normal Radiation 1 1
Global Horizontal Radiation 1 1
Direct Normal Radiation 1 1
Diffuse Horizontal Radiation 1 1
Global Horizontal Illuminance 1 1
Direct Normal Illuminance 1 1
Diffuse Horizontal Illuminance 1 1
Zenith Luminance 1 1
Total Sky Cover 1 1
Opaque Sky Cover 1 1
Dry Bulb Temperature 1 1
Dew Point Temperature 1 1
Relative Humidity 1 1
Atmospheric Pressure 1 1
Wind Direction 1 1
Wind Speed 1 1
Horizontal Visibility 2 2, 3,4
Ceiling Height 2 2,3,4
Present Weather 2 2,3,4
Precipitable Water 1 1
Broadband Aerosol Optical Depth 1 1
Snow Depth 1 5
Days Since Last Snowfall 1 5
Notes:
1. Serially complete, no missing data.
2. Data may be present only every third hour.
3. Nighttime data may be missing.
4. Data may be missing for up to 47 hours.
5. Serially complete, except for Colorado Springs, CO.

Overview - 5
 Where to Order
TMY2 data sets are available over Internet from NREL' s Renewable Resource
Data Center (RReDC). The Universal Resource Locator (URL) address of the
RReDC is "http://rredc.nrel.gov." Users should have World Wide Web (WWW)
browsing software, such as Mosaic or Netscape, to access the RReDC.

TMY2 data sets for all 239 stations may also be obtained on a CD-ROM. A
"Readme" file, which describes the contents, is included on the CD-ROM. The
CD-ROM may be ordered from:

NREL Document Distribution Service

1617 Cole Boulevard
Golden, Colorado 80401-3393
Phone: (303)275-4363
Fax: (303)275-4053
INTERNET: sally_evans@nrel.gov

Overview - 6
References
Freeman, T. L. (1979). Evaluation of the "Typical Meteorological Years" for
Solar Heating and Cooling System Studies. SERI/TR-8150-1. Golden, CO: Solar
Energy Research Institute.

Hall, I.; Prairie, R.; Anderson, H.; Boes, E. (1978). Generation of Typical
Meteorological Years for 26 SOLMET Stations. SAND78-1601. Albuquerque,
NM: Sandia National Laboratories.

Marion, W.; Myers, D. (1992). A Comparison of Data from SOLMET/ERSATZ

and the National Solar Radiation Data Base. NREL/TP-463-5118. Golden, CO:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Menicucci, D.; Fernandez, J. (1988). A Comparison of Typical Year Solar

Radiation Information with the SOLMET Data Base. SAND87-2379.
Albuquerque, NM: Sandia National Laboratories.

NCDC (1981). Typical Meteorological Year User's Manual. Asheville, NC:

National Climatic Data Center.

NSRDB-Vol. 1 (1992). User's Manual - National Solar Radiation Data Base

(1961-1990). Version 1.0. Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
and Asheville, NC: National Climatic Data Center.

NSRDB-Vol. 2 (1995). Final Technical Report: National Solar Radiation Data

Base (1961-1990). NREL/TP-463-5784. Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy
Laboratory.

Rymes, M. (1994). "Beyond the NSRDB Version 1.0." Proceedings of the 1994
Annual American Solar Energy Society Conference; June 25-30, 1994, San Jose,
CA; pp. 445-450.

Siurna, D.L.; D'Andrea, L.J.; Hollands, K.G.T. (1984). "A Canadian

Representative Meteorological Year for Solar System Simulation." Proceedings
of the 10th Annual National Conference of the Solar Energy Society of Canada;
August 2-6, 1984, Calgary, Alberta; pp. 85-88.

SOLMET, Vol. 1 (1978). User's Manual-Hourly Solar Radiation-Surface

Meteorological Observations. TD-9724. Asheville, NC: National Climatic Data
Centef.

SOLMET, Vol. 2 (1979). Final Report-Hourly Solar Radiation-Surface

Meteorological Observations. TD-9724. Asheville, NC: National Climatic Data
Center.

Overview - 7
SECTION 2

Stations
There are 239 TMY2 stations for the United States and its territories. These are
the same stations as for the NSRDB, from which the TMY2 data sets were
derived. The stations are National Weather Service stations that collected
meteorological data for the period of 1961-1990. Table 2-1 lists the stations by
state or territory and provides information describing the station location and the
NSRDB and TMY2 classifications.

Compared to the SOLMET/ERSATZ TMYs, there is a net gain of five stations,

and some of the station locations have changed. The TMY2 data sets include 37
new stations, but 32 previous SOLMET/ERSATZ TMY stations were not
included because these stations were not included in the NSRDB.

Locations
The station locations are described in Table 2-1 by the city and state name, the
station Weather Bureau Army Navy (WBAN) identification number, the latitude
and longitude in degrees and minutes, and the elevation in meters.

NSRDB Classification
Stations are classified with respect to being NSRDB primary (P) or secondary (S)
stations. The 56 primary stations measured solar radiation for a part (from 1 to 27
years) of the 30-year period of 1961-1990. The remaining 183 secondary stations
made no solar radiation measurements and therefore use modeled solar radiation
data that are derived from meteorological data such as cloud cover.

TMY2 Classification
This classification pertains to the amount of measured meteorological data
available for a station to select typical months to form the typical meteorological
year. Class A stations, of which there are 216, had a minimum of 15 candidate
months without more than 2 consecutive hours of missing data. For the 23 Class B
stations to achieve a minimum of 15 candidate months, data filling for periods of
up to 4 7 hours were required. For some elements not required for the selection of
the typical meteorological months, the data are unfilled in the TMY2 data files.
The elements horizontal visibility, ceiling height, and present weather may be
missing for up to 2 consecutive hours for Class A stations and for up to 47 hours
for Class B stations. No data are missing for more than 47 hours, except for snow
depth and days since last snowfall for Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Stations - 9
 Table 2-1. Station Locations and Classifications

WBAN Latitude Longitude Elev Classification

State City No. Deg Min Deg Min (m) NSRDB TMY2
Alabama
Birmingham 13876 N33 34 W86 45 192 s A
Huntsville 03856 N34 39 W86 46 190 s A
Mobile 13894 N30 41 W88 15 67 s A
Montgomery 13895 N32 18 W86 24 62 p A
Alaska
Anchorage 26451 N61 10 W150 1 35 s A
Annette 25308 N55 2 W131 34 34 s A
Barrow 27502 N71 18 W156 47 4 s A
Bethel 26615 N60 47 W161 48 46 s A
Bettles 26533 N66 55 W151 31 205 s B
Big Delta 26415 N64 0 W145 44 388 s B
Cold Bay 25624 N55 12 W162 43 29 s A
Fairbanks 26411 N64 49 W147 52 138 p A
Gulkana 26425 N62 9 W145 27 481 s B
King Salmon 25503 N58 41 W156 39 15 s A
Kodiak 25501 N57 45 W152 20 34 s A
Kotzebue 26616 N66 52 Wl62 38 5 s A
McGrath 26510 N62 58 W155 37 103 s A
Nome 26617 N64 30 W165 26 7 s A
St. Paul Island 25713 N57 9 W170 13 7 s A
Talkeetna 26528 N62 18 W150 6 105 s B
Yakutat 25339 N59 31 W139 40 9 s A
Arizona
Flagstaff 03103 N35 8 Wlll 40 2135 s B
Phoenix 23183 N33 26 W112 1 339 p A
Prescott 23184 N34 39 W112 26 1531 s A
Tucson 23160 N32 7 W110 56 779 p A
Arkansas
Fort Smith 13964 N35 20 W94 22 141 s A
Little Rock 13963 N34 44 W92 14 81 s A
California
Arcata 24283 N40 59 W124 6 69 s A
Bakersfield 23155 N35 25 W119 3 150 s A
Daggett 23161 N34 52 W116 47 588 p A
Fresno 93193 N36 46 W119 43 100 p A
Long Beach 23129 N33 49 W118 9 17 s A
Los Angeles 23174 N33 56 W118 24 32 p A
Sacramento 23232 N38 31 W121 30 8 s A
San Diego 23188 N32 44 W117 10 9 p A
San Francisco 23234 N37 37 W122 23 5 s A
Santa Maria 23273 N34 54 W120 27 72 p B
Colorado
Alamosa 23061 N37 27 W105 52 2297 p B
Boulder 94018 N40 1 W105 15 1634 p A
Colorado Springs 93037 N38 49 W104 43 1881 s B
Eagle 23063 N39 39 W106 55 1985 s A
Grand Junction 23066 N39 7 W108 32 1475 p A
Pueblo 93058 N38 17 W104 31 1439 s A

Stations - 10
 Table 2-1. Station Locations and Classifications (Continued)

WBAN Latitude Longitude Elev Classification

State City No. Deg Min Deg Min (m) NSRDB TMY2
Connecticut
Bridgeport 94702 N41 10 W73 8 2 s A
Hartford 14740 N41 56 W72 41 55 s A
Delaware
Wilmington 13781 N39 40 W75 36 24 s A
Florida
Daytona Beach 12834 N29 11 W81 3 12 p A
Jacksonville 13889 N30 30 W81 42 9 s A
Key West 12836 N24 33 W81 45 1 s A
Miami 12839 N25 48 W80 16 2 p A
Tallahassee 93805 N30 23 W84 22 21 p A
Tampa 12842 N27 58 W82 32 3 s A
West Palm Beach 12844 N26 41 W80 6 6 s A
Georgia
Athens 13873 N33 57 W83 19 244 s A
Atlanta 13874 N33 39 W84 26 315 p A
Augusta 03820 N33 22 W81 58 45 s A
Columbus 93842 N32 31 W84 57 136 s B
Macon 03813 N32 42 W83 39 110 s A
Savannah 03822 N32 8 W81 12 16 p A
Hawaii
Hilo 21504 NI9 43 WISS 4 11 s A
Honolulu 22521 N21 20 W157 55 5 p A
Kahului 22516 N20 54 WI56 26 15 s B
Lihue 22536 N21 59 W159 21 45 s A
Idaho
Boise 24131 N43 34 W116 13 874 p A
Pocatello 24156 N42 55 WI12 36 1365 s A
Illinois
Chicago 94846 N41 47 W87 45 190 s A
Moline 14923 N41 27 W90 31 181 s A
Peoria 14842 N40 40 W89 41 199 s A
Rockford 94822 N42 12 W89 6 221 s A
Springfield 93822 N39 50 W89 40 187 s A
Indiana
Evansville 93817 N38 3 W87 32 118 s A
Fort Wayne 14827 N41 0 W85 12 252 s A
Indianapolis 93819 N39 44 W86 17 246 p A
South Bend 14848 N41 42 W86 19 236 s A
Iowa
Des Moines 14933 N41 32 W93 39 294 s A
Mason City 14940 N43 9 W93 20 373 s A
Sioux City 14943 N42 24 W96 23 336 s A
Waterloo 94910 N42 33 W92 24 265 s A
Kansas
Dodge City 13985 N37 46 W99 58 787 p A
Goodland 23065 N39 22 WlOl 42 1124 s A
Topeka 13996 N39 4 W95 38 270 s A
Wichita 03928 N37 39 W97 25 408 s A

Stations - 11
 Table 2-1. Station Locations and Classifications (Continued)

WBAN Latitude Longitude Elev Classification

State City No. Deg Min Deg Min (m) NSRDB TMY2
Kentucky
Covington 93814 N39 4 W84 40 271 s A
Lexington 93820 N38 2 W84 36 301 s A
Louisville 93821 N38 11 W85 44 149 s A
Louisiana
Baton Rouge 13970 N30 32 W91 9 23 s A
Lake Charles 03937 N30 7 W93 13 3 p A
New Orleans 12916 N29 59 W90 15 3 s A
Shreveport 13957 N32 28 W93 49 79 s A
Maine
Caribou 14607 N46 52 W68 1 190 p B
Portland 14764 N43 39 W70 19 19 s A
Maryland
Baltimore 93721 N39 11 W76 40 47 s A
Massachusetts
Boston 14739 N42 22 W71 2 5 p A
Worchester 94746 N42 16 W71 52 301 s B
Michigan
Alpena 94849 N45 4 W83 34 210 s A
Detroit 94847 N42 25 W83 1 191 s A
Flint 14826 N42 58 W83 44 233 s A
Grand Rapids 94860 N42 53 W85 31 245 s A
Houghton 94814 N47 10 W88 30 329 s A
Lansing 14836 N42 47 W84 36 256 s A
Muskegon 14840 N43 10 W86 15 191 s A
Sault Ste. Marie 14847 N46 28 W84 22 221 s A
Traverse City 14850 N44 44 W85 35 192 s A
Minnesota
Duluth 14913 N46 50 W92 11 432 s A
International Falls 14918 N48 34 W93 23 361 s A
Minneapolis 14922 N44 53 W93 13 255 s A
Rochester 14925 N43 55 W92 30 402 s A
Saint Cloud 14926 N45 33 W94 4 313 s B
Mississippi
Jackson 03940 N32 19 W90 5 101 s A
Meridian 13865 N32 20 W88 45 94 s A
Missouri
Columbia 03945 N38 49 W92 13 270 p A
Kansas City 03947 N39 18 W94 43 315 s A
Springfield 13995 N37 14 W93 23 387 s A
St. Louis 13994 N38 45 W90 23 172 s A
Montana
Billings 24033 N45 48 W108 32 1088 s A
Cut Bank 24137 N48 36 W112 22 1170 s B
Glasgow 94008 N48 13 W106 37 700 s A
Great Falls 24143 N47 29 Wlll 22 1116 p A
Helena 24144 N46 36 Wl12 0 1188 s A
Kalispell 24146 N48 18 Wll4 16 904 s A
Lewistown 24036 N47 3 Wl09 27 1264 s A
Miles City 24037 N46 26 W105 52 803 s A

Stations - 12
 Table 2-1. Station Locations and Classifications (Continued)

WBAN Latitude Longitude Elev Classification

State City No. Deg Min Deg Min (m) NSRDB TMY2
Montana (continued)
Missoula 24153 N46 55 W114 5 972 s A
Nebraska
Grand Island 14935 N40 58 W98 19 566 s A
Norfolk 14941 N41 59 W97 26 471 s B
North Platte 24023 N41 8 WlOO 41 849 s A
Omaha 94918 N41 22 W96 31 404 p A
Scottsbluff 24028 N41 52 W103 36 1206 s A
Nevada
Elko 24121 N40 50 W115 47 1547 s A
Ely 23154 N39 17 W114 51 1906 p A
Las Vegas 23169 N36 5 W115 10 664 p A
Reno 23185 N39 30 W119 47 1341 s A
Tonopah 23153 N38 4 W117 8 1653 s A
Winnemucca 24128 N40 54 W117 48 1323 s A
New Hampshire
Concord 14745 N43 12 W71 30 105 s A
New Jersey
Atlantic City 93730 N39 27 W74 34 20 s A
Newark 14734 N40 42 W74 10 9 s A
New Mexico
Albuquerque 23050 N35 3 W106 37 1619 p A
Tucumcari 23048 N35 11 Wl03 36 1231 s B
New York
Albany 14735 N42 45 W73 48 89 p A
Binghamton 04725 N42 13 W75 59 499 s A
Buffalo 14733 N42 56 W78 44 215 s A
Massena 94725 N44 56 W74 51 63 s A
New York City 94728 N40 47 W73 58 57 p A
Rochester 14768 N43 7 W77 40 169 s A
Syracuse 14771 N43 7 W76 7 124 s A
North Carolina
Asheville 03812 N35 26 W82 32 661 s A
Cape Hatteras 93729 N35 16 W75 33 2 p A
Charlotte 13881 N35 13 W80 56 234 s A
Greensboro 13723 N36 5 W79 57 270 s A
Raleigh 13722 N35 52 W78 47 134 p A
Wilmington 13748 N34 16 W77 54 9 s A
North Dakota
Bismarck 24011 N46 46 WlOO 45 502 p A
Fargo 14914 N46 54 W96 48 274 s A
Minot 24013 N48 16 WlOl 17 522 s A
Ohio
Akron 14895 N40 55 W81 26 377 s A
Cleveland 14820 N41 24 W81 51 245 s A
Columbus 14821 N40 0 W82 53 254 s A
Dayton 93815 N39 54 W84 13 306 s A
Mansfield 14891 N40 49 W82 31 395 s B
Toledo 94830 N41 36 W83 48 211 s A
Youngstown 14852 N41 16 W80 40 361 s A

Stations - 13
 Table 2-1. Station Locations and Classifications (Continued)

WBAN Latitude Longitude Elev Classification

State City No. Deg Min Deg Min (m) NSRDB TMY2
Oklahoma
Oklahoma City 13967 N35 24 W97 36 397 s A
Tulsa 13968 N36 12 W95 54 206 s A
Oregon
Astoria 94224 N46 9 W123 53 7 s A
Burns 94185 N43 35 W119 3 1271 p B
Eugene 24221 N44 7 W123 13 109 p A
Medford 24225 N42 22 W122 52 396 p A
North Bend 24284 N43 25 W124 15 5 s A
Pendleton 24155 N45 41 W118 51 456 s A
Portland 24229 N45 36 W122 36 12 p A
Redmond 24230 N44 16 W121 9 940 p A
Salem 24232 N44 55 W123 1 61 s A
Pacific Islands
Guam 41415 N13 33 E144 50 110 p B
Pennsylvania
Allentown 14737 N40 39 W75 26 117 s A
Bradford 04751 N41 48 W78 38 600 s A
Erie 14860 N42 5 W80 11 225 s A
Harrisburg 14751 N40 13 W76 51 106 s A
Philadelphia 13739 N39 53 W75 15 9 s A
Pittsburgh 94823 N40 30 W80 13 373 p A
Wilkes-Barre 14777 N41 20 W75 44 289 s A
Williamsport 14778 N41 16 W77 3 243 s A
Puerto Rico
San Juan 11641 N18 26 W66 0 19 p A
Rhode Island
Providence 14765 N41 44 W71 26 19 s A
South Carolina
Charleston 13880 N32 54 W80 2 12 p A
Columbia 13883 N33 57 W81 7 69 s A
Greenville 03870 N34 54 W82 13 296 s A
South Dakota
Huron 14936 N44 23 W98 13 393 s A
Pierre 24025 N44 23 WlOO 17 526 s A
Rapid City 24090 N44 3 W103 4 966 s A
Sioux Falls 14944 N43 34 W96 44 435 s A
Tennessee
Bristol 13877 N36 29 W82 24 459 s A
Chattanooga 13882 N35 2 W85 12 210 s A
Knoxville 13891 N35 49 W83 59 299 s A
Memphis 13893 N35 3 W89 59 87 s A
Nashville 13897 N36 7 W86 41 180 p A
Texas
Abilene 13962 N32 26 W99 41 534 s A
Amarillo 23047 N35 14 WlOl 42 1098 s A
Austin 13958 N30 18 W97 42 189 s A
Brownsville 12919 N25 54 W97 26 6 p A
Corpus Christi 12924 N27 46 W97 30 13 s A
El Paso 23044 N31 48 W106 24 1194 p A

Stations - 14
 Table 2-1. Station Locations and Classifications (Continued)

WBAN Latitude Lon2:itude Elev Classification

State City No. Deg Min Deg Min (m) NSRDB TMY2
Texas (continued)
Fort Worth 03927 N32 50 W97 3 164 p A
Houston 12960 N29 59 W95 22 33 s A
Lubbock 23042 N33 39 WlOl 49 988 s A
Lufkin 93987 N31 14 W94 45 96 s A
Midland 23023 N31 56 Wl02 12 871 p A
Port Arthur 12917 N29 57 W94 1 7 s B
San Angelo 23034 N31 22 WlOO 30 582 s A
San Antonio 12921 N29 32 W98 28 242 p A
Victoria 12912 N28 51 W96 55 32 s A
Waco 13959 N31 37 W97 13 155 s A
Wichita Falls 13966 N33 58 W98 29 314 s A
Utah
Cedar City 93129 N37 42 W113 6 1712 s A
Salt Lake City 24127 N40 46 Wlll 58 1288 p A
Vermont
Burlington 14742 N44 28 W73 9 104 p A
Virginia
Lynchburg 13733 N37 20 W79 12 279 s B
Norfolk 13737 N36 54 W76 12 9 s A
Richmond 13740 N37 30 W77 20 50 s A
Roanoke 13741 N37 19 W79 58 358 s A
Sterling 93738 N38 57 W77 27 82 p A
Washington
Olympia 24227 N46 58 Wl22 54 61 s A
Quillayute 94240 N47 57 W124 33 55 s A
Seattle 24233 N47 27 WI22 18 122 p A
Spokane 24157 N47 38 W117 32 721 s A
Yakima 24243 N46 34 Wl20 32 325 s A
West Virginia
Charleston 13866 N38 22 W81 36 290 s A
Elkins 13729 N38 53 W79 51 594 s B
Huntington 03860 N38 22 W82 33 255 s A
Wisconsin
Eau Claire 14991 N44 52 W91 29 273 s A
Green Bay 14898 N44 29 W88 8 214 s A
La Crosse 14920 N43 52 W91 15 205 s A
Madison 14837 N43 8 W89 20 262 p A
Milwaukee 14839 N42 57 W87 54 211 s A
Wyoming
Casper 24089 N42 55 Wl06 28 1612 s A
Cheyenne 24018 N41 9 W104 49 1872 s A
Lander 24021 N42 49 Wl08 44 1696 p A
Rock Springs 24027 N41 36 Wl09 4 2056 s A
Sheridan 24029 N44 46 W106 58 1209 s B

Stations - 15
SECTION 3

Data and Format

For each station, a TMY2 file contains 1 year of hourly solar radiation,
illuminance, and meteorological data. The files consist of data for the typical
calendar months during 1961-1990 that are concatenated to form the typical
meteorological year for each station.

Each hourly record in the file contains values for solar radiation, illuminance, and
meteorological elements. A two-character source and uncertainty flag is attached
to each data value to indicate whether the data value was measured, modeled, or
missing, and to provide an estimate of the uncertainty of the data value.

Users should be aware that the format of the TMY2 data files is different from the
format used for the NSRDB and the original TMY data files.

File Convention
File naming convention uses the WBAN number as the file prefix, with the
characters TM2 as the file extension. For example, 13876.TM2 is the TMY2 file
name for Birmingham, Alabama. The TMY2 files contain computer readable
ASCII characters and have a file size of 1.26 MB.

File Header
The first record of each file is the file header that describes the station. The file
header contains the WBAN number, city, state, time zone, latitude, longitude, and
elevation. The field positions and definitions of these header elements are given in
Table 3-1, along with sample FORTRAN and C formats for reading the header. A
sample of a file header and data for January 1 is shown in Figure 3-1.

Hourly Records
Following the file header, 8760 hourly data records provide 1 year of solar
radiation, illuminance, and meteorological data, along with their source and
uncertainty flags. Table 3-2 provides field positions, element definitions, and
sample FORTRAN and C formats for reading the hourly records.

Each hourly record begins with the year (field positions 2-3) from which the
typical month was chosen, followed by the month, day, and hour information in
field positions 4-9. The times are in local standard time (previous TMYs based on
SOLMETIERSATZ data are in solar time).

Data and Format - 17

......
00

14944 SIOUX FALLS SD -6 N 43 34 W 96 44 435

85010101000000000000?00000?00000?00000?00000?00000?00000?010A710A7-150A7-211A7060A70975A7360A7052A70161A700945A70999099999004E7050FBOOOA700E7
85010102000000000000?00000?00000?00000?00000?00000?00000?010A710A7-144A7-206A7060A70975A7350A7077A70161A700914A70999099999004E7050F8000A700E7
85010103000000000000?00000?00000?00000?00000?00000?00000?010A710A7-144A7-200A7063A70975A7340A7062A70161A700732A70999099999004E7050F8000A700E7
85010104000000000000?00000?00000?00000?00000?00000?00000?010A710A7-150A7-206A7063A70976A7330A7072A70161A700640A70999099999004E7050F8000A700E7
85010105000000000000?00000?00000?00000?00000?00000?00000?010A710A7-156A7-217A7060A70976A7330A7067A70161A700640A70999099999003E7050F8000A700E7
85010106000000000000?00000?00000?00000?00000?00000?00000?010A710A7-167A7-222A7062A70976A7340A7067A70161A700640A70999099999003E7050F800QA700E7
8501010700000000Q000?00000?00000?00000?00000?00000?00000?004A704A7-183A7-233A7065A70977A7300A7052A70193A777777A70999999999003E7050F8000A700E7
8501010BOOOOODOOOOOO?OOOOD?00000?00000?00000?00D00?00000?002A702A7-194A7-244A7065A70978A7310A7036A70193A777777A70999999999003E7050F8000AWOE7
85010109010212970037G50173G40024G50038I50071I40033I50043I604A700A7-200A7-256A7062A70978A7330A7046A70193A777777A70999999999003E7050F8000A700E7
85010110028714150157G50560G40043G50159I50444I40069I50079I600A700A7-l89A7-256A7056A70979A7310A7067A70193A777777A70999999999003E7050F8000A700E7
85010111043614150276G40714G40056G50286I40642I40088I50111I500A700A7-172A7-250A7051A70979A7310A7062A70161A777777A70999999999003E7Q50FBDOOA700E7
85010112053014150357G40782G40064G50374I40735I40098I50131I500A700A7-167A7-244A7051A70978A7300A7062A70161A777777A70999999999003E7050F8000A700E7
85010113056214150387G40806G40067G50407I40767I40101I50139I500A700A7-156A7-244A7047A70978A7320A7067A70193A777777A70999999999003E7050F8000A700E7
85010114 0 53 0141503 5 9G4 07 8 8G40 0 6 4G5 0 3 7 7I4 07 42 I400 9 8 I5 0131 ISO OA7 0 OA7-144A 7-2 3 9A 7 045A7 0 97 8A7 310A7062A7019 3A7 7 7 7 7 7A7 0 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 003E7 05 OF8 0 0 OA7•0•0E7
85010115043614150277G40716G40056G50289I40645I40088I50111I500A700A7-139A7-239A7043A70978A7330A7052A70193A777777A70999999999003E7050F8000A70DE7
85010116028614150157G50564G40043G50162I50450I40069I50080I600A700A7-139A7-233A7045A70978A7300A7052A70161A777777A70999999999003E7050F8000A70UE7
85010117010412730038G50209G40021G50038I50104I40030I50038I600A700A7-150A7-233A7049A70978A7290A7041A70241A777777A70999999999003E7050F8QOOA700E7
85010118000000000000?00000?00000?00000?00000?00000?00000?000A700A7-167A7-233A7057A70978A7000A7000A70241A777777A70999999999003E7050F8000A700E7
85010119000000000000?00000?00000?00000?00000?00000?00000?000A700A7-172A7-233A7059A70978A7000A7000A70241A777777A70999999999003E7050F8000A700E7
850101200QQOOOOOQQ00?00000?00000?00000?00000?00000?00000?000A700A7-178A7-233A7062A70978A7000A7000A70241A777777A70999999999003E7050F8000A700E7
85010121000000000000?00000?00000?00000?00000?00000?00000?000A700A7-183A7-239A7062A70978A7260A7015A70241A777777A70999999999003E7050F8000A700E7
85010122000000000000?00000?00000?00000?00000?00000?00000?000A700A7-183A7-239A7062A70977A7220A7021A70241A777777A70999999999003E7050F8000A700E7
85010123000000000000?00000?00000?00000?00000?00000?00000?000A700A7-178A7-239A7059A70977A7220A7015A70241A777777A70999999999003E7050F8QOOA700E7
85010124000000000000?00000?00000?00000?00000?00000?00000?000A700A7-178A7-239A7059A70977A7240A7010A70241A777777A70999999999003E7050F8000A700E7
1 1 1 1 1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4
1234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012
(for field position identification only)

Fi,gure 3-1. Sample file header and data in the TMY2 format for January 1

I I II ili'·
l,·, ,·i',·
'
1 ·1, 1-:
11 ,1 I
 Table 3-1. Header Elements in the TMY2 Format
(For First Record of Each File)

Field
Position Element Definition
002- 006 WBANNumber Station's Weather Bureau Army Navy number (see Table 2-1)
008 - 029 City City where the station is located (maximum of22 characters)
031- 032 State State where the station is located (abbreviated to two letters)
034- 036 Time Zone Time zone is the number of hours by which the local standard
time is ahead of or behind Universal Time. For example,
Mountain Standard Time is designated -7 because it is 7 hours
behind Universal Time.
038- 044 Latitude Latitude of the station
038 N == North of equator
040- 041 Degrees
043 - 044 Minutes
046 - 053 Longitude Longitude of the station
046 W == West, E == East
048 - 050 Degrees
052 - 053 Minutes
056- 059 Elevation Elevation of station in meters above sea level
FORTRAN Sample Format:
( lX,A5,lX,A22,lX,A2,lX,I3,lX,Al,lX,I2,lX,I2,lX,Al,lX,I3,lX,I2,2X,I4 )
C Sample Format:
( %s %s %s %d %s %d %d %s %d %d %d)

Table 3-2. Data Elements in the TMY2 Format

(For All Except the First Record)

Field
Position Element Values Definition
002- 009 Local Standard Time
002- 003 Year 61- 90 Year, 1961-1990
004 - 005 Month 1 - 12 Month
006 - 007 Day 1 - 31 Day of month
008 - 009 Hour 1 - 24 Hour of day in local standard time
010- 013 Extraterrestrial Horizontal 0 - 1415Amount of solar radiation in Wh/m2
Radiation received on a horizontal surface at the
top of the atmosphere during the 60
minutes preceding the hour indicated
014 - 017 Extraterrestrial Direct 0 - 1415 Amount of solar radiation in Wh/m2
Normal Radiation received on a surface normal to the
sun at the top of the atmosphere
during the 60 minutes preceding the
hour indicated
018 - 023 Global Horizontal Radiation Total amount of direct and diffuse
018 - 021 Data Value 0 - 1200 solar radiation in Wh/m 2 received on
022 Flag for Data Source A-H,? a horizontal surface during the 60
023 Flag for Data Uncertainty 0-9 minutes preceding the hour indicated
024 - 029 Direct Normal Radiation Amount of solar radiation in Wh/m2
024 - 027 Data Value 0- 1100 received within a 5.7° field of view
028 Flag for Data Source A-H,? centered on the sun during the 60
029 Flag for Data Uncertainty 0-9 minutes preceding the hour indicated

Data and Format - 19

 Table 3-2. Data Elements in the TMY2 Format (Continued)

Field
Position Element Values Definition
030 - 035 Diffuse Horizontal Radiation Amount of solar radiation in Wh/m2
030- 033 Data Value 0- 700 received from the sky (excluding the
034 Flag for Data Source A-H,? solar disk) on a horizontal surface
035 Flag for Data Uncertainty 0-9 during the 60 minutes preceding the
hour indicated
036 - 041 Global Horiz. Illuminance Average total amount of direct and
036- 039 Data Value 0- 1300 diffuse illuminance in hundreds of lux
040 Flag for Data Source I, ? received on a horizontal surface
041 Flag for Data Uncertainty 0-9 during the 60 minutes preceding the
hour indicated.
0 to 1300 = 0 to 130,000 lux
042-047 Direct Normal Illurninance Average amount of direct normal
042 - 045 Data Value 0 - 1100 illuminance in hundreds of lux
046 Flag for Data Source I, ? received within a 5.7° field of view
047 Flag for Data Uncertainty 0-9 centered on the sun during the 60
minutes preceding the hour indicated.
0 to 1100 = 0 to 110,000 lux
048 - 053 Diffuse Horiz. Illuminance Average amount of illuminance in
048 - 051 Data Value 0- 800 hundreds of lux received from the sky
052 Flag for Data Source I,? (excluding the solar disk) on a
053 Flag for Data Uncertainty 0-9 horizontal surface during the 60
minutes preceding the hour indicated.
0 to 800 = 0 to 80,000 lux
054 - 059 Zenith Luminance Average amount of luminance at the
054 - 057 Data Value 0- 7000 sky's zenith in tens of Cd/m2 during
058 Flag for Data Source I, ? the 60 minutes preceding the hour
059 Flag for Data Uncertainty 0-9 indicated.
0 to 7000 =0 to 70,000 Cd/m2
060 - 063 Total Sky Cover Amount of sky dome in tenths
060 - 061 Data Value 0- 10 covered by clouds or obscuring
062 Flag for Data Source A-F phenomena at the hour indicated
063 Flag for Data Uncertainty 0-9
064 - 067 Opaque Sky Cover Amount of sky dome in tenths
064 - 065 Data Value 0-10 covered by clouds or obscuring
066 Flag for Data Source A-F phenomena that prevent observing the
067 Flag for Data Uncertainty 0-9 sky or higher cloud layers at the hour
indicated
068 - 073 Dry Bulb Temperature Dry bulb temperature in tenths of °C
068 - 071 Data Value -500 to 500 at the hour indicated.
072 Flag for Data Source A-F -500 to 500 =-50.0 to 50.0°C
073 Flag for Data Uncertainty 0-9
074 - 079 Dew Point Temperature Dew point temperature in tenths of
074 - 077 Data Value -600 to 300 °C at the hour indicated.
078 Flag for Data Source A-F -600 to 300 =-60.0 to 30.0°C
079 Flag for Data Uncertainty 0-9
080 - 084 Relative Humidity Relative humidity in percent at the
080- 082 Data Value 0- 100 hour indicated
083 Flag for Data Source A-F
084 Flag for Data Uncertainty 0-9

Data and Format - 20

 Table 3-2. Data Elements in the TMY2 Format (Continued)

Field
Position Element Values Definition
085 - 090 Atmospheric Pressure Atmospheric pressure at station in
085 - 088 Data Value 700- 1100 millibars at the hour indicated
089 Flag for Data Source A-F
090 Flag for Data Uncertainty 0-9
091- 095 Wind Direction Wind direction in degrees at the hour
091 - 093 Data Value 0- 360 indicated. ( N = 0 or 360, E = 90,
094 Flag for Data Source A-F S = 180,W = 270 ). For calm winds,
095 Flag for Data Uncertainty 0-9 wind direction equals zero.
096 -100 Wind Speed Wind speed in tenths of meters per
096- 98 Data Value 0-400 second at the hour indicated.
99 Flag for Data Source A-F 0 to 400 = 0 to 40.0 mis
100 Flag for Data Uncertainty 0-9
101-106 Visibility Horizontal visibility in tenths of
101 - 104 Data Value 0 - 1609 kilometers at the hour indicated.
105 Flag for Data Source A-F,? 7777 = unlimited visibility
106 Flag for Data Uncertainty 0-9 0 to 1609 = 0.0 to 160.9 km
9999 = missing data
107 -113 Ceiling Height Ceiling height in meters at the hour
107 - 111 Data Value 0- 30450 indicated.
112 Flag for Data Source A-F,? 77777 = unlimited ceiling height
113 Flag for Data Uncertainty 0-9 88888 = cirroform
99999 = missing data
114 - 123 Present Weather See Present weather conditions denoted by
Appendix B a 10-digit number. See Appendix B
for key to present weather elements.
124 -128 Precipitable Water Precipitable water in millimeters at
124 - 126 Data Value 0-100 the hour indicated
127 Flag for Data Source A-F
128 Flag for Data Uncertainty 0-9
129 -133 Aerosol Optical Depth Broadband aerosol optical depth
129 - 131 Data Value 0- 240 (broad-band turbidity) in thousandths
132 Flag for Data Source A-F on the day indicated.
133 Flag for Data Uncertainty 0-9 0 to 240 = 0.0 to 0.240
134 -138 Snow Depth Snow depth in centimeters on the day
134 - 136 Data Value 0- 150 indicated.
137 Flag for Data Source A-F,? 999 = missing data
138 Flag for Data Uncertainty 0-9
139 -142 Days Since Last Snowfall Number of days since last snowfall.
139 - 140 Data Value 0- 88 88 = 88 or greater days
141 Flag for Data Source A-F,? 99 = missing data
142 Flag for Data Uncertainty 0-9
FORTRAN Sample Format:
(1X,4I2,2I4,7(I4,A1,I1l ,2(I2,Al,Ill,2(I4,Al,Ill,l(I3,Al,Ill,
1 (I4,Al, Il), 2 (I3 ,Al, Il), 1 (I4,Al, Ill, l (IS,Al, Ill, lOil, 3 (I3 ,Al, Ill,
1 (I2 ,Al, Ill l
C Sample Format:
(%2d%2d%2d%2d%4d%4d%4d%ls%ld%4d%ls%ld%4d%1s%ld%4d%1s%1d%4d%1s%1d%4d%1s
%1d%4d%ls%1d%2d%1s%1d%2d%1s%1d%4d%1s%1d%4d%1s%1d%3d%1s%1d%4d%1s%1d%3d
%1s%1d%3d%1s%ld%4d%1s%ld%51d%1s%1d%1d%1d%1d%1d%1d%1d%1d%1d%1d%1d%3d%1s
%1d%3d%ls%1d%3d%1s%1d%2d%1s%1dl
Note: For ceiling height data, integer variable should accept data values as large as 99999.

Data and Format - 21

 For solar radiation and illuminance elements, the data values represent the energy
received during the 60 minutes preceding the hour indicated. For meteorological
elements (with a few exceptions), observations or measurements were made at the
hour indicated. A few of the meteorological elements had observations,
measurements, or estimates made at daily, instead of hourly, intervals.
Consequently, the data values for broadband aerosol optical depth, snow depth,
and days since last snowfall represent the values available for the day indicated.

Missing Data
Data for some stations, times, and elements are missing. The causes for missing
data include such things as equipment problems, some stations not operating at
night, and a NOAA cost-saving effort from 1965 to 1981 that digitized data for
only every third hour.

Although both the NSRDB and the TMY2 data sets used methods to fill data
where possible, some elements, because of their discontinuous nature, did not
lend themselves to interpolation or other data-filling methods. Consequently, data
in the TMY2 data files may be missing for horizontal visibility, ceiling height, and
present weather for up to 2 consecutive hours for Class A stations and for up to 47
hours for Class B stations. For Colorado Springs, Colorado, snow depth and days
since last snowfall may also be missing. No data are missing for more than 47
hours, except for snow depth and days since last snowfall for Colorado Springs,
Colorado. As indicated in Table 3-2, missing data values are represented by 9's
and the appropriate source and uncertainty flags.

Source and Uncertainty Flags

With the exception of extraterrestrial horizontal and extraterrestrial direct
radiation, the two field positions immediately following the data value provide
source and uncertainty flags both to indicate whether the data were measured,
modeled, or missing, and to provide an estimate of the uncertainty of the data.
Source and uncertainty flags for extraterrestrial horizontal and extraterrestrial
direct radiation are not provided because these elements were calculated using
equations considered to give exact values.

For the most part, the source and uncertainty flags in the TMY2 data files are the
same as the ones in NSRDB, from which the TMY2 files were derived. However,
differences do exist for data that were missing in the NSRDB, but then filled
while developing the TMY2 data sets. Uncertainty values apply to the data with
respect to when the data were measured, and not as to how "typical" a particular
hour is for a future month and day. More information on data filling and the
assignment of source and uncertainty flags is found in Appendix A.

Tables 3-3 through 3-6 define the source and uncertainty flags for the solar
radiation, illuminance, and meteorological elements.

Data and Format - 22

 Table 3-3. Solar Radiation and llluminance Source Flags

Fla_g Definition
A Post-1976 measured solar radiation data as received from NCDC or
other sources
B Same as "A" except the global horizontal data underwent a
calibration correction
C Pre-1976 measured global horizontal data (direct and diffuse were
not measured before 1976), adjusted from solar to local time, usually
with a calibration correction
D Data derived from the other two elements of solar radiation using the
relationship, _global= diffuse + direct x cosine(zenith)
E Modeled solar radiation data using inputs of observed sky cover
(cloud amount) and aerosol optical depths derived from direct
normal data collected at the same location
F Modeled solar radiation data using interpolated sky cover and
aerosol optical depths derived from direct normal data collected at
the same location
G Modeled solar radiation data using observed sky cover and aerosol
optical depths estimated from _geo_graphical relationships
H Modeled solar radiation data using interpolated sky cover and
estimated aerosol optical depths
I Modeled illuminance or luminance data derived from measured or
modeled solar radiation data
? Source does not fit any of the above categories. Used for nighttime
values and missin_g data

Table 3-4. Solar Radiation and llluminance Uncertainty Flags

Flag Uncertainty Range (%)

1 Not used
2 2-4
3 4-6
4 6-9
5 9 - 13
6 13 - 18
7 18 - 25
8 25 - 35
9 35 -50
0 Not applicable

Data and Format - 23

 Table 3-5. Meteorological Source Flags

Flag Definition
A Data as received from NCDC, converted to SI units
B Linearly interpolated
C Non-linearly interpolated to fill data gaps from 6 to 47 hours in
length
D Not used
E Modeled or estimated, except: precipitable water, calculated from
radiosonde data; dew point temperature calculated from dry bulb
temperature and relative humidity; and relative humidity calculated
from dry bulb temperature and dew point temperature
F Precipitable water, calculated from surface vapor pressure; aerosol
optical depth, estimated from geographic correlation
? Source does not fit any of the above. Used mostly for missing data

Table 3-6. Meteorological Uncertainty Flags

Flag Definition
1-6 Not used
7 Uncertainty consistent with NWS practices and the instrument or
observation used to obtain the data
8 Greater uncertainty than 7 because values were interpolated or
estimated
9 Greater uncertainty than 8 or unknown
0 Not definable

Data and Format - 24

SECTION 4

Comparison with Long-Term Data Sets

The TMY2 data were compared with 30-year data sets to show differences
between TMY2 data and long-term data for the same stations. Comparisons were
made on a monthly and annual basis for global horizontal, direct normal, and
south-facing latitude tilt radiation; and for heating and cooling degree days. These
comparisons give general insight into how well, with respect to long-term
conditions, the TMY2s portray the solar resource and the dry bulb temperature
environment for simulations of solar energy conversion systems and building
systems. On an annual basis, the TMY2s compare closely to the 30-year data sets.
The monthly comparisons are less favorable than the annual comparisons.

Solar Radiation Comparisons

Monthly and annual solar radiation for the TMY2 data sets were compared with
previously determined (Marion and Wilcox 1994) monthly and annual averages
for the 1961-1990 NSRDB, from which the TMY2 data sets were derived. These
comparisons were made for global horizontal, direct normal, and a fixed surface
facing south with a tilt angle from horizontal equal to the station's latitude.

Results of these comparisons are shown in Figures 4-1 through 4-6. TMY2 values
for all stations are plotted against their respective 30-year average from the 1961-
1990 NSRDB. As indicated by the scatter of the data and the statistical
information at the top of the figures, agreement is better on an annual basis than
on a monthly basis. This is a consequence of cancellation of some of the monthly
differences when the monthly values are summed for the annual value. The
statistical information presented is the mean difference between the TMY2 value
and the 1961-1990 average and the standard deviation of the differences.

Table 4-1 provides 95% confidence intervals, determined as twice the standard
deviation of the differences between TMY2 and NSRDB values, for TMY2
monthly and annual solar radiation. The confidence intervals are given in units of
kWh/m2/day. Differences between TMY2 and NSRDB 30-year values should be
within the confidence interval 95% of the time.

Table 4-1. 95% Confidence Intervals for Monthly and Annual Solar Radiation

Confidence Interval (±kWh/m2/day)

Element Monthly Annual
Global Horizontal 0.20 0.06
Direct Normal 0.50 0.16
Latitude Tilt 0.29 0.09

Comparison - 25
 DIFFERENCE= TMY2 minus 1961-1990 Average
2
Mean = 0.026 kWh/m /day
2
Std Dev= 0.101 kWh/m /day
8

ca
+-'
C
2
·;::
6
0
I
<ti
~ 4
CJ
>,
:c
+-'

§ 2
~
C\J
>-
~
I- 0

0 2 4 6 8 10

1961-1990 Average Monthly Global Horizontal (kWh/m 2/day)

Figure 4-1. Comparison of monthly averages of global horizontal solar

radiation when calculated using NSRDB and TMY2 data

10
DIFFERENCE= TMY2 minus 1961-1990 Average
2
Mean = 0.026 kWh/m /day
2
Std Dev= 0.030 kWh/m /day
8

"ctj.
+-'
C
0 6
N
·;::
0
I
ca
.0 4
0
a
ca:l
C
C 2
<(

~
~
I- 0

0 2 4 6 8 10

1961-1990 Average Annual Global Horizontal (kWh/m2/day)

Figure 4-2. Comparison of annual averages of global horizontal solar

radiation when calculated using NSRDB and TMY2 data

Comparison - 26
 10
DIFFERENCE= TMY2 minus 1961-1990 Average
2
Mean = 0.057 kWh/m /day
2
Std Dev= 0.250 kWh/m /day
8

0 2 4 6 8 10

1961-1990 Average Monthly Direct Normal (kWh/m2/day)

Figure 4-3. Comparison of monthly averages of direct normal solar

radiation when calculated using NSRDB and TMY2 data

10
DIFFERENCE= TMY2 minus 1961-1990 Average
Mean = 0.057 kWh/m 2/day
Std Dev= 0.082 kWh/m 2/day
8

cij
E
,._ 6
0
z
t5
~ 4
0
ca::::,
C
C
<C 2
C\I
>-
~
I-
0

0 2 4 6 8 10

1961-1990 Average Annual Direct Normal (kWh/m 2/day)

Figure 4-4. Comparison of annual averages of direct normal solar

radiation when calculated using NSRDB and TMY2 data

Comparison - 27
 10
DIFFERENCE= TMY2 minus 1961-1990 Average
Mean = 0.040 kWh/m 2/day
Std Dev= 0.145 kWh/m 2/day

Q)

-
"O
::J
:g
_J 4
1!-
-
.c
C
0
~ 2
~
~
l-
o
0 2 4 6 8 10

1961-1990 Average Monthly Latitude Tilt (kWh/m2 /day)

Figure 4-5. Comparison of monthly averages of latitude tilt solar

radiation when calculated using NSRDB and TMY2 data

10
DIFFERENCE= TMY2 minus 1961-1990 Average
Mean = 0.040 kWh/m 2/day
Std Dev= 0.046 kWh/m 2/day
8

0 2 4 6 8 10

1961-1990 Average Annual Latitude Tilt (kWh/m 2/day)

Figure 4-6. Comparison of annual averages of latitude tilt solar

radiation when calculated using NSRDB and TMY2 data

Comparison - 28
Heating and Cooling Degree Day Comparisons
Degree days are the difference between the average temperature for the day and a
base temperature. If the average for the day (calculated by averaging the
maximum and minimum temperature for the day) is less than the base value, then
the difference is designated as heating degree days. If the average for the day is
greater than the base value, the difference is designated as cooling degree days.

Monthly and annual heating and cooling degree days (base 18.3°C) calculated
from the TMY2 data sets were compared with those for the same stations from
NCDC's data tape, "1961-1990 Monthly Station Normals All Elements." This
data tape includes temperature and degree day normals for about 477 5 stations in
the United States and its territories. The normals are averages computed by NCDC
for the period 1961-1990.

Results of these comparisons are shown in Figures 4-7 through 4-10. TMY2
values for all stations are plotted against their respective 30-year average from
NCDC's data tape. As seen for solar radiation, agreement is better on an annual
basis than on a monthly basis.

Table 4-2 provides 95% confidence intervals, determined as twice the standard
deviation of the differences between TMY2 and NCDC values, for TMY2
monthly and annual heating and cooling degree days. The confidence intervals are
given in units of degree days. Differences between TMY2 and NCDC 30-year
values should be within the confidence interval 95% of the time.

Table 4-2. 95% Confidence Intervals for Monthly and Annual Degree Days

Confidence Interval (±degree days, base 18.3°C)

Parameter Monthly Annual
Heating Degree Days 45.6 182
Cooling Degree Days 28.2 98

Comparison - 29
 1500
DIFFERENCE= TMY2 minus 1961-1990 Average
Cl) Mean = 1 .6 degree days
~ Std Dev= 21.2 degree days
0 1200
Q)
~
0)
Q)
0
0) 900
C:
~
Q)
::r:
>. 600
-
.c:

~
C:
0

~ 300
~
I-

0 300 600 900 1200 1500

1961-1990 Average Monthly Heating Degree Days

Figure 4-7. Comparison of monthly heating degree days for NCDC and TMY2 data

12500
DIFFERENCE= TMY2 minus 1961-1990 Average
Mean = 19.3 degree days
Std Dev= 90.7 degree days
10000

7500

5000

2500

0 2500 5000 7500 10000 12500

1961-1990 Average Annual Heating Degree Days

Figure 4-8. Comparison of annual heating degree days for NCDC and TMY2 data

Comparison - 30
 DIFFERENCE= TMY2 minus 1961-1990 Average
CJ) Mean = -2.1 degree days
~ Std Dev = 11.0 degree days
Cl 400
Q)
Q)
~
C)
Q)
Cl
C) 300
C
0
0
()
~ 200
-
.c

~
C
0

~ 100
~
I-

0 100 200 300 400 500

1961-1990 Average Monthly Cooling Degree Days

Figure 4-9. Comparison of monthly cooling degree days for NCDC and TMY2 data

5000
DIFFERENCE= TMY2 minus 1961-1990 Average
Mean = -25.3 degree days
~ Std Dev = 48.8 degree days
~ 4000
Q)
~
C)
Q)
Cl
C)
3000
.!::
0
0
()
cii 2000
::i
C
C
<(

~ 1000
~
I-

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000

1961-1990 Average Annual Cooling Degree Days

Figure 4-10. Comparison of annual cooling degree days for NCDC and TMY2 data

Comparison - 31
 References
Marion, W.; Wilcox, S. (1994). Solar Radiation Data Manual for Flat-Plate and
Concentrating Collectors. NRELffP-463-5607. Golden, CO: National Renewable
Energy Laboratory.

Comparison - 32
APPENDIX A

Procedures for Developing TMY2s

The TMY2s were created based on the procedures that were developed by Sandia
National Laboratories (Hall et al. 1978) to create the original TMYs from the
1952-1975 SOLMET/ERSATZ data. Modifications to the Sandia method were
made to better optimize the weighting of the indices, to provide preferential
selection for months with measured solar radiation data, and to account for
missing data. This appendix begins by summarizing the Sandia method, and then
it discusses departures from the Sandia method that were used to create the TMY2
data sets.

Sandia Method
The Sandia method is an empirical approach that selects individual months from
different years of the period of record. For example, in the case of the NSRDB
that contains 30 years of data, all 30 Januarys are examined and the one judged
most typical is selected to be included in the TMY. The other months of the year
are treated in a like manner, and then the 12 selected typical months are
concatenated to form a complete year. Because adjacent months in the TMY may
be selected from different years, discontinuities at the month interfaces are
smoothed for 6 hours on each side.

The Sandia method selects a typical month based on nine daily indices consisting
of the maximum, minimum, and mean dry bulb and dew point temperatures; the
maximum and mean wind velocity; and the total global horizontal solar radiation.
Final selection of a month includes consideration of the monthly mean and
median and the persistence of weather patterns. The process may be considered a
series of steps.

Step 1-For each month of the calendar year, five candidate months with
cumulative distribution functions (CDFs) for the daily indices that are closest to
the long-term (30 years for the NSRDB) CDFs are selected. The CDF gives the
proportion of values that are less than or equal to a specified value of an index.

Candidate monthly CDFs are compared to the long-term CDFs by using the
following Finkelstein-Schafer (FS) statistics (Finkelstein and Schafer 1971) for
each index.

Appendix A Procedures - 33
 n
FS = (1/n) Loi
i =1
where
oi = absolute difference between the long-term CDF and the candidate
month CDF at xi
n = the number of daily readings in a month.

Four CDFs for global horizontal solar radiation for the month of June are shown
in Figure A-1. Compared to the long-term CDF by using FS statistics, the CDF
for June of 1981 compared the best and the CDF for June of 1989 compared the
worst. Even though it was not the best month with respect to the long-term CDF,
June of 1962 was selected for the TMY2. This was a consequence of additional
selection steps described in the following paragraphs.

Because some of the indices are judged more important than others, a weighted
sum (WS) of the FS statistics is used to select the 5 candidate months that have
the lowest weighted sums.

1.0

Long-Term (1961-1990)
C
0
:;:;
(.)
0.8 -e-- Best (1981)
C
::J
LL
---8- TMY2 Selected (1962)

C ----A- Worst (1989)

0 0.6
:;:;
::J

-
.0
·;::
en
ci 0.4
Q)
>
~
::J
E
::J 0.2
0

0 2 4 6 8 10

Daily Global Horizontal Radiation (kWh/m 2/day)

Figure A-1. Cumulative distribution functions for June global horizontal

solar radiation for Boulder, Colorado

Appendix A Procedures - 34
 WS=lw-FS·
1 1
where
wi = weighting for index
Fsi = FS statistic for index.

Step 2-The 5 candidate months are ranked with respect to closeness of the
month to the long-term mean and median.

Step 3-The persistence of mean dry bulb temperature and daily global horizontal
radiation are evaluated by determining the frequency and run length above and
below fixed long-term percentiles. For mean daily dry bulb temperature, the
frequency and run length above the 67th percentile (consecutive warm days) and
below the 33rd percentile (consecutive cool days) were determined. For global
horizontal radiation, the frequency and run length below the 33rd percentile
(consecutive low radiation days) were determined.

The persistence data are used to select from the five candidate months the month
to be used in the TMY. The highest ranked candidate month from step 2 that
meets the persistence criteria is used in the TMY. The persistence criteria
excludes the month with the longest run, the month with the most runs, and the
month with zero runs.

Step 4--The 12 selected months were concatenated to make a complete year and
smooth discontinuities at the month interfaces for 6 hours each side using curve-
fitting techniques.

Weighting and lndice Modifications

The weighting for each index plays a role in the selection of the typical months.
Ideally, one would select a month that had FS statistics for each index that were
better than all the other months. In practice, this is unlikely because the months
might be typical with respect to some of the indices, but not others. By weighting
the FS statistics, the relative importance and sensitivity of the indices may be
taken into account. The Sandia weighting values and the weighting values used
for the TMY2s are compared in Table A-1.

For the TMY2s, an index for direct normal radiation was added. This improves
the comparison between annual direct normal radiation for the TMY2s and the 30-
year annual average by about a factor of 2 (based on 20 geographically
representative NSRDB stations). When only global horizontal radiation is used for
the solar index, the TMY annual direct radiation values for the 20 stations were
within 4% (95% confidence level) of the 30-year annual average. Using both
global horizontal and direct radiation indices reduced the differences to 2%, with
no adverse effect on global horizontal radiation comparisons.

Appendix A Procedures - 35
 Table A-1. Weightings for FS Statistics

Sandia NSRDB
Index Method TMY2s
Max Dry Bulb Temp 1/24 1/20
Min Dry Bulb Temp 1/24 1/20
Mean Dry Bulb Temp 2/24 2/20
Max Dew Point Temp 1/24 1/20
Min Dew Point Temp 1/24 1/20
Mean Dew Point Temp 2/24 2/20
Max Wind Velocity 2/24 1/20
Mean Wind Velocity 2/24 1/20
Global Radiation 12/24 5/20
Direct Radiation Not Used 5/20

Weightings for dry bulb and dew point temperature were changed slightly to give
more emphasis to dry bulb and dew point temperatures and less to wind velocity,
which is of less importance for solar energy conversion systems and buildings.
Neither of the TMY weightings is appropriate for wind energy conversion
systems.

The relative weights between solar and the other elements were not found to be
particularly sensitive. As an indicator, annual heating and cooling degree days
(base 18.3°C) were compared for the TMY2s and the 30-year period for the 20
stations. With the selected solar weighting of 50% (global and direct), annual
heating degree days for the TMY2s were within 5% (95% confidence level) of the
30-year annual average. As an extreme, reducing the solar weighting to zero only
reduced the differences to within 2Y2%. Differences between the TMY2 annual
averages and the 30-year averages for cooling degree days were within 9%, for
both 0% and 50% solar weightings.

As a consequence of adding the index for direct normal radiation, the persistence
check in Step 3 was modified to determine the frequency and run length below the
33rd percentile (consecutive low radiation days) for daily values of direct normal
radiation. This information, along with that for the other persistence indices, was
then used to select the month satisfying the persistence criteria.

El Chichon Years
The volcanic eruption of El Chichon in Mexico in March 1982 spewed large
amounts of aerosols into the stratosphere. The aerosols spread northward and
circulated around the earth. This phenomenon noticeably decreased the amount of
solar radiation reaching the United States during May 1982 until December 1984,
when the effects of the aerosols had diminished. Consequently, these months were
not used in any of the TMY2 procedures because they were considered not typical.

Appendix A Procedures - 36
Leap Years
TMY2 files do not include data for February 29. Consequently, data for February
29 were not used in leap year Februarys to determine their candidate month CDFs.
However, to maximize the use of available data, data for February 29 were
included for determining the long-term CDFs.

Preference for Months with Measured Solar Radiation Data

For a station, the NSRDB may contain both measured and modeled solar radiation
data. Because of additional uncertainties associated with modeled data, preference
in the selection of candidate months were given to months that contained either
measured global horizontal or direct normal solar radiation data. This was
accomplished between Steps 2 and 3 by switching the ranking of the first and
second ranked candidate months if the second ranked month contained measured
solar radiation data, but the first ranked month did not.

Month Interface Smoothing

Curve-fitting techniques were used to remove discontinuities created by
concatenating months from different years to form the TMY2s. These techniques
were applied for 6 hours each side of the month interfaces for dry bulb
temperature, dew point temperature, wind speed, wind direction, atmospheric
pressure, and precipitable water. Relative humidities for 6 hours on each side of
the month interfaces were calculated using psychometric relationships (ASHRAE
1993) and curve-fitted values of dry bulb temperature and dew point temperature.

Allowance for Missing Data

The NSRDB has no missing solar radiation data, but meteorological data are
missing for some stations and months. Consequently, when creating the TMY2s,
procedures were adopted to account for missing meteorological data. From these
procedures, two classes of TMY2 stations evolved: Class A and B.

Class A stations are those stations whose 30-year meteorological data records
were the most complete and that had an adequate number ( 15) of candidate
months after eliminating any months with data missing for more than 2
consecutive hours. The minimum of 15 candidate months permitted completion
of 90% of the stations without extensive data filling. As indicated in Figure A-2,
as few as 15 candidate months yielded typical months that were within the range
of differences established by 25 or more candidate months when comparing
monthly values of direct normal for TMY2 months with monthly averages of
direct normal for the 1961-1990 period. This relationship was also found to be
true for global horizontal radiation and heating and cooling degree days.

Appendix A Procedures - 37
 ..-..
>,
C1l
1.0 - u

--E
"'O
C\I
0.8 -
()
8
fl
0

§
0
0

-- 0 0 0 8
0 § §
~
0
.c 0 0

0.6 - 8 8
3: 0

--
€l 0

i
0
.:.t:. 0 0
0
0 8

I
0
0 8 0 @ 0
u 0.4 -
~
0
() 8
~
Q)
,._ 0
€l fl fl
0 fl 8
i:5 0.2 -
I- I I
0
,._ 0
C1l - 8 0 0
Q) 0 R 8 "'
>- 0.0 fl
9
II I
(J
0
I
- 0 !l
8
0
§
0 0
(")
CJ)
-0.2 - 0
8
0
0 8 0
::I - 0 0 8 0
8 ~ §
€l
0
l,l
C 0 8 €1
-0.4 - €1 0 0
0
8 0
~ ~
-u
,._
Q) -0.6 -
- 0
0
8
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
0
€1

0
0
€1 g ~
0

8
Cl
- 0
0
0
0

C\J -0.8 - 0
0
8 0

>-
~
-
I- -1.0 I I
I I
I I I
I I
I I I I
10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30
Number of Candidate Months

Figure A-2. Closeness of TMY2 monthly direct normal radiation to 1961-1990

monthly averages as a function of the number of candidate months

Class B stations had more missing data than Class A stations, and the data were
filled for the index elements used to select the TMY2s. Other elements in Class B
TMY2s were not filled and may be missing. Table 1-1 on page 5 shows elements
that may have missing data values in TMY2 files for Class A and B stations.

Class A Stations. There are 216 Class A stations. Missing data for these
stations were accounted for in the following fashion:

1. Long-term CDFs in Step 1, based on the 30-year period (excluding the El

Chichon period), were determined using only measured data or data modeled
(such as solar radiation) from measured or observed data.
2. Months were eligible to be candidate months if they had no missing or filled
data for periods greater than 2 hours. This accommodated data from 1965 to
1981 that was digitized by NOAA only every third hour. For the elements
used for the indices, the missing data for the 2-hour sequences were replaced
with interpolated or modeled values.

Class B Stations. The NSRDB data from which the 23 Class B stations were
derived have substantially more missing data than the NSRDB data from which
the Class A stations were derived. This situation required filling missing data to
have sufficient candidate months from which to select typical months. The
additional missing data for the Class B stations resulted from such things as
equipment problems and the fact that some stations did not operate at night for

Appendix A Procedures - 38
some or all of the 30-year period. Criteria were relaxed for Class B stations to
permit filled data for periods of up to 47 hours to be used in determining the long-
term CDFs, and months were eligible to be candidate months if they had no
missing or filled data for periods greater than 47 hours. For Colorado Springs,
Colorado, the criteria were further relaxed to permit missing data for snow depth
and days since last snowfall.

Data-Filling Methods
The TMY2 data sets required filling some missing data that were not filled during
the development of the NSRDB. The NSRDB was made complete with respect to
solar radiation elements (NSRDB-Vol. 1 1992). This required NSRDB filling of
missing data, at least for daylight hours, for elements used to model solar
radiation, such as total and opaque sky cover, dry bulb temperature, relative
humidity, and atmospheric pressure.

For other meteorological elements, data were not filled in the NSRDB.
Consequently, to develop the TMY2s, missing data for dry bulb temperature
(nighttime), dew point temperature, and wind speed required data filling to
complete the selection of typical months. These elements, along with global
horizontal and direct normal radiation, were used to generate statistics to
determine the appropriate selection of typical months.

To maximize the usefulness of the TMY2s, other missing meteorological data

were also filled, with the exception of horizontal visibility, ceiling height, and
present weather. The discontinuous nature of these three elements did not readily
lend itself to interpolation or other data-filling methods.

Data filling for TMY2 Class B stations was more extensive than for the Class A
stations. TMY2s for Class A stations were restricted to the selection of typical
months that had no more than 2 consecutive hours of data missing, whereas
Class B stations could have up to 47 consecutive hours of data missing.

Two-hour gaps in data records for Class A and Class B stations were filled by
linear interpolation, except for relative humidity, which was calculated based on
psychometric relationships (ASHRAE 1993) using measured or filled dry bulb
temperature and dew point temperature. For Class B stations, longer gaps from 3
to 47 hours were filled using filled data from the NSRDB if available; otherwise
TMY2 data filling-methods were used.

The NSRDB contains filled data for total and opaque sky cover, dry bulb
temperature, relative humidity, and atmospheric pressure. NSRDB data gaps up to
5 hours were filled by linear interpolation. Gaps from 6 to 47 hours were filled for
the above elements by using data from adjacent days for identical hours and then
by adjusting the data so that there were no abrupt changes in data values between
the filled and measured data. Many Class B stations did not operate for parts of

Appendix A Procedures - 39
 the night and/or early morning and late afternoon. For these stations, NSRDB data
were filled from sunrise to sunset to allow model estimates of solar radiation.
However, nighttime data were not necessarily filled.

The TMY2 data sets used procedures to fill nighttime data and other data not
filled in the NSRDB. These procedures were used for total and opaque sky cover,
atmospheric pressure, dry bulb temperatures, dew point temperatures, relative
humidity, wind speed, precipitable water, broadband aerosol optical depth, snow
depth, and days since last snowfall. Data elements not filled are horizontal
visibility, ceiling height, and present weather.

The TMY2 data-filling procedures are described in the following paragraphs.

Total and opaque sky cover, and atmospheric pressure were linearly interpolated
over any missing nighttime periods.

Nighttime dry bulb temperatures were linearly interpolated, and then the filled
values were adjusted to preserve nonlinearities, such as more rapid changes in
temperature near sunrise and sunset. These adjustments were based on average
diurnal profiles determined for each calendar month and appropriately scaled to
match the endpoints of the interpolation interval.

Missing daytime dew point temperatures were filled using psychometric

relationships (ASHRAE 1993) and measured or NSRDB filled values of dry bulb
temperature and relative humidity. The same procedure was also used to fill
missing nighttime dew point temperatures if measured or NSRDB filled values of
dry bulb temperature and relative humidity were available. Otherwise, missing
nighttime dew point temperatures were filled by the procedure used to fill
nighttime missing dry bulb temperatures-linear interpolation and then
adjustment of filled values based on average diurnal profiles determined for each
calendar month.

Missing nighttime relative humidity values were filled using psychometric

relationships and dry bulb and dew point temperatures. Dry bulb temperatures
used were measured or NSRDB filled or TMY2 filled, and dew point
temperatures used were measured or TMY2 filled.

Missing wind speed data, for up to 47 hour gaps, were filled by the procedure used
to fill nighttime missing dry bulb temperatures-linear interpolation and then
adjustment of filled values based on average diurnal profiles determined for each
calendar month.

Missing wind direction and precipitable water, for up to 47 hour gaps, were
linearly interpolated. For calm winds, wind direction was set to zero (north).

Appendix A Procedures - 40
Broadband aerosol optical depth values in the TMY2s are daily values provided
by seasonal functions derived during the development of the NSRDB. The
seasonal functions are sinusoidal with respect to the day of the year and have peak
values occurring in the summer.

Snow depth and days since last snowfall data were available from the NSRDB for
all but Colorado Springs and a few stations at southern latitudes, such as Guam
and Puerto Rico. So much data were missing for Colorado Springs that no attempt
was made to fill the data, and missing data for the elements snow depth and days
since last snowfall were flagged as missing. For the southern latitude sites that do
not receive snow, snow depth was set to zero and days since last snowfall was set
to 88, meaning 88 or more days.

Quality Control
Data were checked before and after processing to ensure that data were
reasonable. NCDC provided information identifying some erroneous dew point
temperature data in Version 1.1 of the NSRDB, where dew point temperatures
exceeded dry bulb temperatures. During processing of the NSRDB data to
generate the TMY2s, dew point temperatures were checked to make sure they did
not exceed dry bulb temperatures. If they did, the dew point temperature was
calculated using relative humidity and dry bulb temperature, if available;
otherwise, the data were considered missing.

NCDC also identified three stations (Chattanooga, Tennessee; Huntsville,

Alabama; and Louisville, Kentucky) that had erroneous total sky cover data for
the period 1970-1974. The cloud cover data had been set to 10 for non-3-hourly
values (correct values were present every 3 hours). Consequently, modeled solar
radiation for these stations and times would be erroneous. For the TMY2s, data
for these stations and time periods were excluded.

Post-processing checks revealed that some of the selected TMY2 months had
solar radiation values with obvious errors (diffuse radiation values were zero even
though global horizontal and direct normal radiation were a few hundred watt
hours). Consequently, these stations were reprocessed with the affected data
being excluded. The stations with months excluded during the reprocessing
because of erroneous solar data are: Boulder, Colorado (2/88, 3/85, 5/85, and
10/85);· Lake Charles, Louisiana (2/80); Caribou, Maine (4/78, 7/85, and 7/72);
Great Falls, Montana (10/89); Omaha, Nebraska (5/85, 5/89, and 11/81); Ely,
Nevada (6/89 and 9/88); Guam, Pacific Islands (1/88, 9/79, and 9/88); El Paso,
Texas (12/88); Midland, Texas (5/80 and 12/79); Salt Lake City, Utah (5/88, 8/80,
and 10/89); Lander, Wyoming (3/88 and 8/80).

Appendix A Procedures - 41
 Calculation of llluminance Data
To facilitate lighting and energy analysis of buildings, hourly values for global
horizontal illuminance, direct normal illuminance, diffuse horizontal illuminance,
and zenith luminance were added to the TMY2 data sets. These elements were
calculated using luminous efficacy models developed by Perez et al. (1990).
Inputs to the models are global horizontal radiation, direct normal radiation,
diffuse horizontal radiation, and dew point temperature. The luminous efficacy in
terms of lumens per watt is determined as a function of sky clearness, sky
brightness, and zenith angle.

Assignment of Source and Uncertainty Flags

With the exception of extraterrestrial horizontal and extraterrestrial direct
radiation, each data value was assigned a source and uncertainty flags. The source
flag indicates whether the data were measured, modeled, or missing, and the
uncertainty flag provides an estimate of the uncertainty of the data. Source and
uncertainty flags for extraterrestrial horizontal and extraterrestrial direct radiation
are not provided because these elements were calculated using equations
considered to give exact values.

Usually, the source and uncertainty flags in the TMY2 data files are the same as
the ones in the NSRDB, from which the TMY2 files were derived. However,
differences do exist for data that were flagged missing in the NSRDB, but then
filled while developing the TMY2 data sets. Differences are also present for
illuminance and luminance data values that were not included in the NSRDB.
Uncertainty values apply to the data with respect to the time stamp of the data, and
not as to how "typical" a particular hour is for a future month and day. The
uncertainty values represent the plus or minus interval about the data value that
contains the true value 95% of the time.

The uncertainty assigned to modeled solar radiation data includes only the bias
error in the model and not the random error component, which could be several
times larger for partly cloudy skies. For partly cloudy skies, an hour can be
composed of large or small amounts of sunshine, depending on whether the sun is
mostly free of the clouds or occluded by the clouds. Consequently, modeled
hourly values may depart significantly from true values for partly cloudy skies.
The uncertainty assigned to modeled solar radiation data represents the average
uncertainty for a large number of model estimates (such as for a month). When
averaging large data sets, random errors tend to cancel, leaving only the bias error.

Uncertainties for values of illuminance and luminance were determined by taking

the root-sum-square of the two main sources of error: (1) uncertainty of the solar
radiation element (global horizontal, direct normal, or diffuse horizontal radiation)
from which the illuminance or luminance element is derived, and (2) uncertainty
of the model estimate.

Appendix A Procedures - 42
The uncertainty of the model estimates are based on the evaluation presented by
Perez et al. (1990) for six test stations. To be conservative, the following model
mean bias errors for the stations with the largest errors were used:

• 1.2% for global horizontal illuminance

• 1.6% for direct normal illuminance
• 2.3% for diffuse horizontal illuminance
• 1.2% for zenith luminance.

The uncertainty of the illuminance data value was then determined as the root-
sum-square of the model uncertainty and solar radiation element uncertainty.

The use of the bias error, instead of bias and random error, is consistent with the
approach in the above paragraph concerning the assignment of uncertainty values
to modeled solar radiation elements. Consequently, it also has the same
implications. The assigned uncertainty is representative of the average uncertainty
for a large number of model estimates (such as for a month), but the actual
uncertainty of the individual modeled illuminance and luminance values is greater
than indicated.

For meteorological elements, relative uncertainties from the NSRDB were used.
These uncertainties do not portray a quantitative evaluation of the uncertainty of
the meteorological elements, but rather give relative uncertainties based on the
data and the manner in which they were derived (NSRDB-Vol. 1 1992).

The source and uncertainty flags for the solar radiation, illuminance, and
meteorological elements are presented in Tables 3-3 through 3-6 on pages 21 and
22.

Appendix A Procedures - 43
 References
ASHRAE (1993). 1993 ASHRAE Handbook: Fundamentals. Atlanta, GA:
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc.

Finkelstein, J.M.; Schafer, R.E. (1971). "Improved Goodness-of-Fit Tests."

Biometrika, 58(3), pp. 641-645.

Hall, I.; Prairie, R.; Anderson, H.; Boes, E. (1978). Generation of Typical
Meteorological Years for 26 SOLMET Stations. SAND78-1601. Albuquerque,
NM: Sandia National Laboratories.

NSRDB-Vol. 1 (1992). User's Manual-National Solar Radiation Data Base

(1961-1990). Version 1.0. Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
and Asheville, NC: National Climatic Data Center.

Perez, R.; Ineichen, P.; Seals, R.; Michalsky, J.; Stewart, R. (1990). "Modeling
Daylight Availability and Irradiance Components from Direct and Global
Irradiance." Solar Energy, 44(5), pp. 271-289.

Appendix A Procedures - 44
APPENDIX B

Key to Present Weather Elements

Appendix B provides the key for the present weather elements included in the
TMY2 format. The TMY2s use a ten-digit number for present weather, whereas
the older TMYs used an eight-digit number. Also, the weather occurrence values
for the TMY2s have different meanings from those for the TMYs. For example,
TMY2s use a nine to indicate "none," whereas TMY s use a zero to indicate
"none."

Appendix B Present Weather Key - 45

 Table B-1. Present Weather Elements in the TMY2 Format

Field
Position Element Values Definition
114 Observation Indicator Oor9 0 = Weather observation made
9 = Weather observation not made, or missing
115 Occurrence of 0- 2, 4, 0 = Thunderstorm-lightning and thunder.
Thunderstorm, 6-9 Wind gusts less than 25.7 mis, and hail, if
Tornado, or Squall any, less than 1.9 cm diameter
1 = Heavy or severe thunderstorm-frequent
intense lightning and thunder. Wind gusts
greater than 25.7 mis and hail, if any, 1.9
cm or greater diameter
2 = Report of tornado or waterspout
4 = Moderate squall-sudden increase of wind
speed by at least 8.2 mis, reaching 11.3 mis
or more and lasting for at least 1 minute
6 =Waterspout ( beginning January 1984)
7 = Funnel cloud ( beginning January 1984 )
8 = Tornado ( beginning January 1984)
9 = None if Observation Indicator element
equals 0, or else unknown or missing if
Observation Indicator element equals 9
116 Occurrence of Rain, 0-9 0 = Light rain
Rain Showers, or 1 = Moderate rain
Freezing Rain 2 = Heavy rain
3 = Light rain showers
4 = Moderate rain showers
5 = Heavy rain showers
6 = Light freezing rain
7 = Moderate freezing rain
8 = Heavy freezing rain
9 = None if Observation Indicator element
equals 0, or else unknown or missing if
Observation Indicator element equals 9

Notes:
Light = up to 0.25 cm per hour
Moderate= 0.28 to 0.76 cm per hour
Heavy= greater than 0.76 cm per hour
117 Occurrence of Rain 0, 1, 0 = Light rain squalls
Squalls, Drizzle, or 3-9 1 = Moderate rain squalls
Freezing Drizzle 3 = Light drizzle
4 = Moderate drizzle
5 = Heavy drizzle
6 = Light freezing drizzle
7 = Moderate freezing drizzle
8 = Heavy freezing drizzle
9 = None if Observation Indicator element
equals 0, or else unknown or missing if
Observation Indicator element equals 9

( See next page for notes. )

Appendix B Present Weather Key - 46

 Table B-1. Present Weather Elements in the TMY2 Format (Continued)

Field
Position Element Values Definition
Occurrence of Rain Notes:
Squalls, Drizzle, or When drizzle or freezing drizzle occurs with
Freezing Drizzle other weather phenomena:
( continued ) Light = up to 0.025 cm per hour
Moderate= 0.025 to 0.051 cm per hour
Heavy= greater than 0.051 cm per hour
When drizzle or freezing drizzle occurs alone:
Light = visibility 1 km or greater
Moderate = visibility between 0.5 and 1 km
Heavy = visibility 0.5 km or less
118 Occurrence of Snow, 0-9 0 = Light snow
Snow Pellets, or Ice 1 = Moderate snow
Crystals 2 = Heavy snow
3 = Light snow pellets
4 = Moderate snow pellets
5 = Heavy snow pellets
6 = Light ice crystals
7 = Moderate ice crystals
8 = Heavy ice crystals
9 = None if Observation Indicator element
equals 0, or else unknown or missing if
Observation Indicator element equals 9

Notes:
Beginning in April 1963, any occurrence of ice
crystals is recorded as a 7.
119 Occurrence of Snow 0- 7, 9 0 = Light snow
Showers, Snow 1 = Moderate snow showers
Squalls, or Snow 2 = Heavy snow showers
Grains 3 = Light snow squall
4 = Moderate snow squall
5 = Heavy snow squall
6 = Light snow grains
7 = Moderate snow grains
9 = None if Observation Indicator element
equals 0, or else unknown or missing if
Observation Indicator element equals 9
120 Occurrence of Sleet, 0- 2, 0 = Light ice pellet showers
Sleet Showers, or Hail 4,9 1 = Moderate ice pellet showers
2 = Heavy ice pellet showers
4 = Hail
9 = None if Observation Indicator element
equals 0, or else unknown or missing if
Observation Indicator element equals 9

Notes:
Prior to April 1970, ice pellets were coded as
sleet. Beginning in April 1970, sleet and small
hail were redefined as ice pellets and are coded
as 0, 1, or 2.

Appendix B Present Weather Key - 47

 Table 8-1. Present Weather Elements in the TMY2 Format (Continued)

Field
Position Element Values Definition
121 Occurrence of Fog, 0-9 O=Fog
Blowing Dust, or 1 = Ice fog
Blowing Sand 2 = Ground fog
3 = Blowing dust
4 = Blowing sand
5 = Heavy fog
6 = Glaze (beginning 1984)
7 = Heavy ice fog (beginning 1984)
8 = Heavy ground fog (beginning 1984)
9 = None if Observation Indicator element
equals 0, or else unknown or missing if
Observation Indicator element equals 9

Notes:
These values recorded only when visibility is
less than 11 km.
122 Occurrence of Smoke, 0- 7, 9 O=Smoke
Haze, Smoke and 1 = Haze
Haze, Blowing Snow, 2 = Smoke and haze
Blowing Spray, or 3 = Dust
Dust 4 = Blowing snow
5 = Blowing spray
6 = Dust storm (beginning 1984)
7 = Volcanic ash
9 = None if Observation Indicator element
equals 0, or else unknown or missing if
Observation Indicator element equals 9

Notes:
These values recorded only when visibility is
less than 11 km.
123 Occurrence of Ice 0- 2, 9 0 = Light ice pellets
Pellets 1 = Moderate ice pellets
2 = Heavy ice pellets
9 = None if Observation Indicator element
equals 0, or else unknown or missing if
Observation Indicator element equals 9

Appendix B Present Weather Key - 48

APPENDIX C

Unit Conversion Factors

Table C-1 contains a table of unit conversion factors for converting SI data to
other units.

Table C-1. Conversion Factors

To Convert From Into Multiply By

degrees Centigrade degrees Fahrenheit C0 X 1.8 + 32

degree days (base 18.3°C) degree days (base 65°F) 1.8

degrees (angle) radians 0.017453

lux foot-candles 0.0929

meters per second miles per hour 2.237

meters per second kilometers per hour 3.6

meters per second knots 1.944

meters inches 39.37

meters feet 3.281

meters yards 1.094

meters miles (statute) 0.0006214

millibars pascals 100.0

millibars atmospheres 0.0009869

millibars pounds per square inch 0.0145

watt-hours per square meter joules per square meter 3600.0

watt-hours per square meter Btu's per square foot 0.3170

watt-hours per square meter Langleys 0.08604

watt-hours per square meter calories per square centimeter 0.08604

Appendix C Conversion Factors - 49