SILO
SILO is an online database of about 120 years of continuous daily weather records.
- Who this tool is for
- Questions this tool answers
- What this tool does
- Inputs
- Outputs
- Reliability
- History
- Support available
- Where to get it
- Cost
Read about our selection process for including tools on Climate Kelpie
Who this tool is for
All farmers, extension officers and decision-making tool developers throughout Australia.
Questions this tool answers
- What has been the daily rainfall, minimum and maximum temperatures, radiation, evaporation and vapour pressure to the 5-km scale over the past 120 years or since records began?
- How can I use this weather data in my modelling?
What this tool does
SILO is a database of about 120 years of continuous daily weather records for Australia.
It includes:
- rainfall
- temperatures (minimum and maximum)
- radiation
- evaporation
- vapour pressure
The records are mainly based on observed data, with interpolation where there are data gaps.
SILO data is:
- up-to-date (near real time)
- in formats useful for farmers, researchers and policy-makers
- a data source for seasonal climate models and environmental forecasting models
Inputs
SILO includes climate data from around 3800 Bureau of Meteorology stations across Australia.
It interpolates the data into a regular 5-km grid resulting in 350,000 grid squares.
You enter a location (weather station) and a date range. Then you select the data format you want (e.g. rainfall only, Rainman format), enter your subscriber details and the dataset is then delivered to you.
Outputs
When you identify the data you want, you can also select from a list of available formats. For example, there are formats suitable for input to:
Reliability
SILO provides excellent data. Missing records are generally interpolated (and are identified as such).
The data does not include projections or analysis for a changing climate. It is simply a reference dataset of about 120 years of records.
History
SILO was developed by the Bureau of Meteorology and launched in 1997.
Delivery of data to subscribers over the web has rapidly expanded, with more than 12,000 downloads in 2007. This is in addition to many more offline deliveries of data.
Support available
Users of SILO can subscribe and request/pay for data through their subscription. The website has a New Users section which describes how to navigate through the site.
Where to get it
Visit SILO and click on Meteorological Datasets (data drill) to get weather data. This will take you to the Long Paddock website
Cost
Subscription is required for various climate data.