From John Cook :

1. Download my code ghcn_app.tar.gz
2. Go to ftp://ftp.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/ghcn/v2 and grab the compressed data files (v2.min.Z, v2.mean.Z, etc).

A Quick and Dirty Analysis of GHCN Surface Temperature Data

This is what is contained in that directory

Index of /pub/data/ghcn/v2
Name Size Date Modified
[parent directory]
grid/ 7/24/12 5:44:00 AM
source/ 12/23/10 12:00:00 AM
v2.country.codes 10.2 kB 1/25/02 12:00:00 AM
v2.max.Z 5.9 MB 2/7/12 9:17:00 AM
v2.prcp.Z 24.8 MB 7/28/12 5:00:00 AM
v2.prcp.failed.qc.Z 162 kB 7/28/12 5:00:00 AM
v2.prcp.inv 1.2 MB 1/25/02 12:00:00 AM
v2.prcp.readme 3.5 kB 9/27/11 12:00:00 AM
v2.prcp_adj.Z 5.2 MB 7/28/12 5:00:00 AM
v2.read.data.f 10.7 kB 12/14/06 12:00:00 AM
v2.read.inv.f 2.8 kB 12/14/06 12:00:00 AM
v2.slp.country.codes 10.3 kB 10/3/02 12:00:00 AM
zipd/ 7/28/12 5:00:00 AM

There isn’t any v2.min or v2.mean file. They seem to have gone missing.

Next I tried looking at version 1 data, which is supposed to be located here :

ftp://ftp.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/ghcn/v1

Index of /pub/data/ghcn/v1
Name Size Date Modified
[parent directory]
README.ghcn 32.0 kB 11/22/95 12:00:00 AM
README.ghcn~ 31.8 kB 6/28/95 12:00:00 AM
country.codes 15.7 kB 3/31/96 11:00:00 PM
data.for.Z 688 B 6/28/95 12:00:00 AM
data.sas.Z 207 B 6/28/95 12:00:00 AM
flag.for.Z 758 B 6/28/95 12:00:00 AM
flag.sas.Z 294 B 6/28/95 12:00:00 AM
invent.for.Z 833 B 6/28/95 12:00:00 AM
invent.sas.Z 262 B 6/28/95 12:00:00 AM
press.sea.data.Z 1.1 MB 6/28/95 12:00:00 AM
press.sea.flag.Z 344 kB 6/28/95 12:00:00 AM
press.sea.statinv.Z 48.9 kB 6/28/95 12:00:00 AM
press.sta.data.Z 1.4 MB 6/28/95 12:00:00 AM
press.sta.flag.Z 379 kB 6/28/95 12:00:00 AM
press.sta.statinv.Z 49.1 kB 6/28/95 12:00:00 AM

All of the temperature data is missing. The README.ghcn file says this

This subdirectory (/PUB/NDP041) contains 19 files including:

– this descriptive file (ndp041.des)
– FORTRAN IV data retrieval routine to read and print the station
inventory files (invent.for)
– FORTRAN IV data retrieval routine to read and print the climate data
files (data.for)
– FORTRAN IV data retrieval routine to read and print the flag code
files (flag.for)
– SAS data retrieval routine to read and print the station inventory
file (invent.sas)
– SAS data retrieval routine to read and print the climate data files
(data.sas)
– SAS data retrieval routine to read and print the flag code files
(flag.sas)
– temperature station inventory file (temp.statinv)
– precipitation station inventory file (precip.statinv)
– sea level pressure station inventory file (press.sea.statinv)
– station pressure station inventory file (press.sta.statinv)
– temperature data file (temp.data)
– precipitation data file (precip.data)
– sea level pressure data file (press.sea.data)
– station pressure data file (press.sta.data)
– temperature flag code file (temp.flag)
– precipitation flag code file (precip.flag)
– sea level pressure flag code file (press.sea.flag)
– station pressure flag code file (press.sta.flag)

The temperature file temp.data is missing.

So there you have it. All of the V1 and most of the V2 data has been deleted from their server.