arm-pyart
Py-ART: Python ARM Radar Toolkit
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you work with weather radar data in research or operational settings. Py-ART is production-stable (Development Status 5), actively maintained, carries no vulnerabilities, and integrates well with the Scientific Python ecosystem. The medium install friction is justified by the comprehensive radar algorithm library and active community. Not necessary for general atmospheric modeling or visualization work that doesn't involve radar-specific corrections or retrievals.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.11 or later; netcdf4 and cartopy have compiled dependencies that may need system libraries (HDF5, GEOS, PROJ).
- Medium install friction due to 15 runtime dependencies including compiled packages (netcdf4, cartopy) and optional C/C++ compiler requirements.
- Active maintenance with recent release (38 days ago) and steady repository activity (597 stars) reduces adoption risk.
License · maintenance · safety
BSD-3-Clause (permissive) — BSD-3-Clause (permissive) allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions, requiring only license and copyright notice retention.
last release 2026-07-07 (38 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-14 · 597 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 156,959 downloads/mo, #10,770 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install arm-pyart
import pyart
radar = pyart.io.read_cfradial('radar_file.nc')
radar.fields.keys()- Whether optional dependencies (h5py, CyLP, PyGLPK, CVXOPT, wradlib) are commonly needed for typical workflows.
- Performance characteristics when processing large radar datasets or real-time data streams.
- Compatibility with non-standard radar formats beyond cfradial and netCDF4.
What it is and what it does
Py-ART is a Python library for working with weather radar data, developed and used by the ARM User Facility for processing data from precipitation and cloud radars. It sits on top of NumPy, SciPy, matplotlib, and xarray to provide radar-specific algorithms for data correction, retrieval, and visualization. The package handles reading multiple radar file formats, applying quality control and correction algorithms, and producing publication-ready plots with geographic context via cartopy. It's designed for atmospheric scientists and radar engineers but is general enough to work with many radar types beyond ARM's own instruments.
The library bundles published scientific methods for radar processing—wind retrieval, beam blockage calculation, turbulence detection—and integrates with the broader open-radar ecosystem through xradar and open-radar-data. Installation is straightforward via conda or pip, though the dependency stack (netcdf4, cartopy, xarray, scipy) means setup time and potential compilation on some platforms. The package is actively maintained, supports current Python versions (3.11–3.13), and carries no known security vulnerabilities.
Use it for
- Read and quality-control raw radar data from multiple file formats (cfradial, netCDF4, HDF5) for scientific analysis.
- Apply published correction algorithms (attenuation, clutter removal, velocity dealiasing) to radar reflectivity and velocity fields.
- Generate publication-ready radar plots with geographic overlays, colormaps, and custom field metadata.
- Retrieve wind kinematics or precipitation estimates from single or dual-Doppler radar observations.
- Integrate radar data into larger atmospheric science workflows using xarray and pandas for time-series or spatial analysis.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you work with weather radar data in research or operational settings.
Py-ART is production-stable (Development Status 5), actively maintained, carries no vulnerabilities, and integrates well with the Scientific Python ecosystem. The medium install friction is justified by the comprehensive radar algorithm library and active community. Not necessary for general atmospheric modeling or visualization work that doesn't involve radar-specific corrections or retrievals.
Install
arm-pyart on PyPI
Before you install
Medium install friction due to 15 runtime dependencies including compiled packages (netcdf4, cartopy) and optional C/C++ compiler requirements. Active maintenance with recent release (38 days ago) and steady repository activity (597 stars) reduces adoption risk.
Requires Python 3.11 or later; netcdf4 and cartopy have compiled dependencies that may need system libraries (HDF5, GEOS, PROJ).
License in practice
BSD-3-Clause (permissive) allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions, requiring only license and copyright notice retention.
Quickstart
pip install arm-pyart
import pyart
radar = pyart.io.read_cfradial('radar_file.nc')
radar.fields.keys()Verify before relying
- Whether optional dependencies (h5py, CyLP, PyGLPK, CVXOPT, wradlib) are commonly needed for typical workflows.
- Performance characteristics when processing large radar datasets or real-time data streams.
- Compatibility with non-standard radar formats beyond cfradial and netCDF4.
Package facts
| License | BSD-3-Clause permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.11 |
| Install friction | Medium. Platform-specific wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 15 packagescartopycftimefsspecmatplotlibmda-xdrlibnetcdf4numpyopen-radar-datapandaspintpoochs3fsscipyxarrayxradar |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 38 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 156,959 / month, #10,770 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableFramework :: MatplotlibIntended Audience :: DevelopersIntended Audience :: Science/ResearchOperating System :: MacOS :: MacOS XOperating System :: Microsoft :: WindowsOperating System :: POSIX :: LinuxProgramming Language :: CProgramming Language :: CythonProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Topic :: Scientific/EngineeringTopic :: Scientific/Engineering :: Atmospheric Science |
Evidence: arm_pyart-2.2.5-cp311-cp311-macosx_10_9_x86_64.whl; arm_pyart-2.2.5-cp311-cp311-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; arm_pyart-2.2.5-cp311-cp311-manylinux2014_x86_64.manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl; arm_pyart-2.2.5-cp311-cp311-win_amd64.whl; arm_pyart-2.2.5-cp312-cp312-macosx_10_13_x86_64.whl; arm_pyart-2.2.5-cp312-cp312-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; arm_pyart-2.2.5-cp312-cp312-manylinux2014_x86_64.manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl; arm_pyart-2.2.5-cp312-cp312-win_amd64.whl; arm_pyart-2.2.5-cp313-cp313-macosx_10_13_x86_64.whl; arm_pyart-2.2.5-cp313-cp313-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; arm_pyart-2.2.5-cp313-cp313-manylinux2014_x86_64.manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl; arm_pyart-2.2.5-cp313-cp313-win_amd64.whl
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