begin 
  filename="wrfinput_d02.nc"
  a = addfile(filename,"r")
  l_obs_old=wrf_user_getvar(a,"L_OBS",0)
; dims_lobs = dimsizes(l_obs_old)
  printVarSummary(l_obs_old)
  xlat2d=wrf_user_getvar(a,"XLAT",0)
  xlon2d=wrf_user_getvar(a,"XLONG",0)
  dims3d = dimsizes(l_obs_old)
  l_obs_new=new((/dims3d(0),dims3d(1),dims3d(2)/),float)
  L_OBS=new((/dims3d(0),dims3d(1),dims3d(2)/),float)
  print(" dims3d(0) = " + dims3d(0))
  print(" dims3d(1) = " + dims3d(1))
  print(" dims3d(2) = " + dims3d(2))
; read lightning data
;;;;
; read ascii file
a_asc = (/"lobs_output_4km.txt"/)
;---Read the data in as a giant 1D array

;---Read the data in as a giant 1D array
    values = asciiread(a_asc,-1,"float")
    nvals  = dimsizes(values)
    print("nvals = " + nvals)
    nx=dims3d(1)
    ny=dims3d(2)
    print("nx = " + nx)
    print("ny = " + ny)
;---Calculate ntime based on the number of values we read in.
    n_l_times = nvals - ((nvals/nx)*ny)
    print("n_l_times = " + n_l_times)
    nvars  = 10
    nxy    = nx * ny
    nblk   = nxy * nvars
; create variables to hold the ascii file variables.
;
      n_t_vars=5
      time_array     = new((/n_t_vars/),integer)
      year     = new((/n_l_times,ny,nx/),integer)
      month    = new((/n_l_times,ny,nx/),integer)
      day      = new((/n_l_times,ny,nx/),integer)
      hour     = new((/n_l_times,ny,nx/),integer)
      minute     = new((/n_l_times,ny,nx/),integer)
      lat_a    = new((/n_l_times,ny,nx/),float)
      lon_a    = new((/n_l_times,ny,nx/),float)
      ii    = new((/n_l_times,ny,nx/),integer)
      jj    = new((/n_l_times,ny,nx/),integer)
      total_light  = new((/n_l_times,ny,nx/),float)
      ic_cg  = new((/ny,nx/),float)
    do it=0,n_l_times-1
      nstart = it*(nblk+1)+1
      nend   = nstart+nblk-1
      year(it,:,:)    = toint(reshape(values(nstart:nend:nvars),(/ny,nx/)))
      month(it,:,:)    = toint(reshape(values(nstart+1:nend:nvars),(/ny,nx/)))
      day(it,:,:)    = toint(reshape(values(nstart+2:nend:nvars),(/ny,nx/)))
      hour(it,:,:)    = toint(reshape(values(nstart+3:nend:nvars),(/ny,nx/)))
      minute(it,:,:)    = toint(reshape(values(nstart+4:nend:nvars),(/ny,nx/)))
      lat_a(it,:,:)    = (reshape(values(nstart+5:nend:nvars),(/ny,nx/)))
      lon_a(it,:,:)    = (reshape(values(nstart+6:nend:nvars),(/ny,nx/)))
      ii(it,:,:)    = toint(reshape(values(nstart+7:nend:nvars),(/ny,nx/)))
      jj(it,:,:)    = toint(reshape(values(nstart+8:nend:nvars),(/ny,nx/)))
      total_light(it,:,:)    = (reshape(values(nstart+9:nend:nvars),(/ny,nx/)))
    end do
;;;;
  l_obs_new = 0.
  do it=0,n_l_times-1
    l_obs_new(it,:,:) = total_light(it,:,:)
  end do 
  l_obs_new@lat2d = xlat2d     ; add attributes
  l_obs_new@lon2d = xlon2d     ; add attributes
  L_OBS@lat2d = xlat2d     ; add attributes
  L_OBS@lon2d = xlon2d     ; add attributes


; write new data into same file as read in
  f = addfile(filename,"w")

  f->L_OBS := l_obs_new
; f->xlat      = xlat2d
; f->xlon     = xlon2d

;---Close file. 
  delete(f) 
end