P-3 Meteorological and Navigation Data IMPACTS

The P-3 Meteorological and Navigation Data IMPACTS dataset is a subset of airborne measurements that include GPS positioning and trajectory data, aircraft orientation, and atmospheric state measurements of temperature, pressure, water vapor, and horizontal winds. These measurements were taken from the NASA P-3 aircraft during the Investigation of Microphysics and Precipitation for Atlantic Coast-Threatening Snowstorms (IMPACTS) campaign. Funded by NASA’s Earth Venture program, IMPACTS is the first comprehensive study of East Coast snowstorms in 30 years. The campaign aimed to (1) Provide observations critical to understanding the mechanisms of snowband formation, organization, and evolution; (2) Examine how the microphysical characteristics and likely growth mechanisms of snow particles vary across snowbands; and (3) Improve snowfall remote sensing interpretation and modeling to advance prediction capabilities significantly. Data are available in ASCII-ict format from January 12, 2020, through February 28, 2023.