The Tiros Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS) Pathfinder Path A retrieved surface skin temperature, surface air temperatures, and surface specific humidity are compared with data obtained from three large-scale field campaigns: the First ISLSCP (International Satellite Land Surface Climatology Project) Field Experiment (FIFE), the Hydrologic Atmospheric Pilot Experiment (HAPEX) in the Sahel, and the Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study (BOREAS). The long-term estimates of surface skin temperatures, surface air temperatures, and surface vapor pressure were unbiased, and the standard deviations of the errors were about 4 ¿C, 3.5 ¿C, and 3.5 mbar, respectively. The monthly mean variables obtained from the TOVS data at four times of the day (corresponding to the AM and PM overpass for each of two satellites) exhibited realistic diurnal and seasonal cycles when compared with corresponding ground observations. ¿ 2000 American Geophysical Union