What is Level III data?
Level III data are radar products generated from the Level II base data. The products are used to assist forecasters and others in weather analysis, predictions and warnings. Level III products used to be recorded on WORM Optical Disks at NWS sites in the early 1990s. Currently, the required products are provided electronically in near real-time to an NWS Central Collection Facility. When products were written to the WORM Optical Disks, all products were saved and have been archived. Now, only required products are collected at the CCF and then archived by NCDC. Regardless of how the Level III products have been received, the NCDC archives the products in compressed tape archive format on the NCDC Hierarchical Data Storage System (HDSS). The Level III Products archive is made available via the World Wide Web on the NCDC Home Page.

For more information, visit the web site: NCDC Dataset Documentation & Metadata.