International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS)
World Data Center for Meteorology, Asheville.

Summary of IBTrACS Parameters

The following summarizes the parameters available through IBTrACS. The listing follows the output from a ncdump -h IBTrACS_file.

Variable Units Summary
genesis_basin Basin where the track begins
num_basins Number of basins through which the storm passes
season Year (UTC) Season.
NH=01/01/YEAR to 12/31/YEAR
SH=07/01/YEAR-1 to 06/30/YEAR
latitude degrees_north
longitude degrees_east
time(time) days since 1858-11-17 00:00:00 (UTC) Modified Julian Day
wind(time) knots Maximum Sustained Wind (MSW) gust (10-min)
pres(time) mb Minimum Central Pressure (MCP)
basin(time) Basin of current location
nature(time) Cyclone Nature based on reports from source centers
ET = extratropical
TS = Tropical in nature
SS = sub tropical storm
MX = Conflicting reports from centers
NR = Not Reported
pos_stdev(time) km Standard deviation of the various storm positions
pos_num(time) Number of centers used to determine the position
wind_quality Quality assessment of the MSW
0 = OK
1 = Missing
2 = Questionable - Value
3 = Questionable - 6 hour change
wind_stdev knots Standard devition of MSW from the various centers
wind_condition(time) Condition found in merging MSW
wind_num(time) Number of centers used in merging MSW
wind_flag Flag denoting centers used in merging MSW
wind_maximum(time) knots Highest MSW reported
wind_minimum(time) knots Lowest MSW reported
wind_median(time) knots Median MSW reported
pres_quality(time) Quality assessment of MCP
0 = OK
1 = Missing
2 = Questionable - Value
3 = Questionable - 6 hour change
pres_stdev(time) mb Standard deviation of MCP from various centers
pres_condition(time) Condition found in merging MCP
pres_flag(time) Flag denoting centers used in merging MCP
pres_num(time) Number of centers used in merging MCP
pres_maximum(time) Highest reported MCP
pres_minimum(time) Lowest reported MCP
isotime YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS Time stored using ISO standard format
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