Distrometer data of the Thiess Laser Niederschlags Messer (LNM) since 2019 of about 150 German meteorological SYNOP stations

[Outdated version] Please use the newest version: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15855617 Introduction As part of its synoptic meteorological weather data measuring network (automated SYNOP network of ground stations), the German Meteorological Service continuously operates about 150 laser-optical distrometers, the Laser Niederschlags Messer (LNM) from manufacturer Thiess. This device registers the size and vertical fallspeed component of each particle (raindrops, graupel, snowflakes, hail, or anything else) that passes trough a horizontally oriented laser light sheet of length 22.8 cm, with 2.0 cm and height 0.75 mm. From all particles registered during 1 minute, a 2-dimensional discrete distribution (numbers in 20x22 fallspeed-diameter-classes) is constructed and several precipitation characterizing integral parameters are derived, such as precipitation rate, estimated type of precipitation according to WMO ww tables, estimated equivalent radar reflectivity, particle size distribution, etc. Relevant for the operational SYNOP data of DWD is only the estimated type of precipitation. However, the 2-D fallspeed-diameter distributions for each minute ("raw data") are also recorded, but not put into DWD's official longterm data bases. Because these raw data may be highly relevant and interesting for the international scientific community in the fields of cloud physics, numerical weather prediction and radar meteorology, we provide via Zenodo a comparatively large raw data set for the years 2019 to 2024 of >= 150 stations throughout Germany. The data set is accompagnied by additional parameters which are relevant for quality control and cross checks, namely 10-minute values of temperature, relative humidity, accumulated precipitation from rain gauges, cloud cover, wind speed and wind direction. All relevant station meta data are provided as well. Documentation todo Instrument description todo Data files and formats todo Important issues todo: Some stations have been closed, moved, or newly installed during the 5 years. Sometimes 1 to 5 minutes in a daily file are missing due to spurious data stream transmission problems which are not recoverable.