Precipitation Data in the Real World (2023)

Characterizing the surface and weather conditions that can lead to flooding is often difficult due to a lack of ground-based information available to monitor or forecast flood events (particularly in developing countries). To fill some of these data gaps, scientists and forecasters often rely on satellite sources as inputs to hydrologic models that can predict where the water will likely flow once it hits the ground. While the majority of flood models currently focus on local or regional scales (taking into account one drainage basin or watershed) some recent research has shifted to estimating areas of potential flooding on a global scale.

Example 1 - Floods: The Global Flood Monitoring System (GFMS) is a NASA-funded experimental system that uses real-time satellite precipitation data as part of their flood monitoring and prediction tools. The model combines the satellite precipitation data with a hydrologic model, which includes information about the types of soil, soil moisture, vegetation, slopes, rivers, and streams as well as other factors that affect whether an area will flood. The end product is a series of estimates describing potential flooding conditions that are produced every three hours around the world. Data can be accessed through the Global Flood Monitoring System. Starting with the 1/8th degree resolution maps, users can "zoom in" to regional areas, change which parameter to view, time sequence the maps over the last few days or months, and select a latitude/longitude location and plot time sequences of data at a point. Once sufficiently "zoomed in"(~10° latitude window is recommended) on the 1/8th degree maps, one can select from the 1 km resolution parameters (streamflow, water storage,inundation map) for a high resolution view of the regional basin. Time sequences at this high resolution of the map can be viewed and time series at a point can also be plotted by clicking the mouse at the location. The global flood potential map can also be accessed through https://pmm.nasa.gov/precip-apps, where users can select the global flood layer in addition to rainfall accumulations from 30 minutes to 7 days.


Precipitation Data in the Real World (1)

GPM data is used by the Global Flood Monitoring System (GFMS) to detect potential flooding conditions and estimate intensity. This system also uses GEOS-5 precipitation forecast to estimate streamflow within affected areas. Top left shows the 7-day GPM rainfall totals over California ending on 21 Feb. 2017. Middle left plot shows forecasted 3-day rainfall from the GEOS-5 model near the Oroville Dam area. Bottom left plot shows the forecasted flood detection/intensity for 22 Feb. 2017, forecasts over northern California are estimated to be over 200 mm for the 22 Feb. 2017 (bottom). This information is valuable for improving situational awareness of floods. This capability can be applied anywhere globally, especially where conventional data and methods are not available.

Example 2 - Fires: The Fire Weather Index System is the most widely used fire danger rating system in the world. The Global Fire WEather Database (GFWED) https://data.giss.nasa.gov/impacts/gfwed/ developed at NASA GISS integrates different weather factors influencing the likelihood of a vegetation fire starting and spreading. Calculations require measurements of temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, daily snow-depth, and precipitation totaled over the previous 24 hours. GPM data, along with other satellite, gauge-based, and model products are incorporated in different versions of the GFWED and are used by fire management agencies around the world. This data is open to the public and can provide improved situational awareness of potential fire danger around the world.

(Video) Download climate data [Rainfall, temperature, humidity] from 1981 2021


Precipitation Data in the Real World (2)

The Fire Weather Index tracks the potential for extreme fire behavior, shown here with Aqua & Terra MODIS active fires using GPM data for Aug 2015 record-breaking Pacific Northwest wildfires (left). The Fine Fuel Moisture Code tracks the potential for fire starts, such as these predominantly agricultural and forest plantation prescribed fires in the southeast US (right).

Example 3 - Landslides: A global landslide nowcast model provides situational awareness of landslide hazards for a wide range of users. The model uses GPM near real-time rainfall data with a global susceptibility map (available here: https://pmm.nasa.gov/applications/global-landslide-model) to identify locations with landslide potential. This model is updated every 30 minutes and the data is accessible via Applications Programming Interface at and interactive map at https://pmm.nasa.gov/precip-apps. NASA landslide susceptibility, hazard, and rainfall data are available globally in near real-time and have been used by many international and domestic organizations, such as the World Bank, World Food Programme, Pacific Disaster Center, FEMA, and the US Army Corps of Engineers.


Precipitation Data in the Real World (3)

1-day GPM IMERG rainfall accumulation (left) for the U.S. West Coast and corresponding landslide nowcasts (right) are shown for Feb. 21st, 2017. Results are updated every 30 minutes and data is available at https://pmm.nasa.gov/precip-apps.

(Video) Climate Data (Temperature, Precipitation, Humidity) from 1981-2021

Example 1 - Cyclone tracking: The Naval Research Lab (NRL) routinely uses GPM Microwave Imager (GMI) data along with other sensors in their Automated Tropical Cyclone Forecasting System for improved storm track prediction. The NRL’s forecasts are used by weather prediction and disaster response organizations around the world.


Precipitation Data in the Real World (4)


Precipitation Data in the Real World (5)

Hurricane Matthew affecting Nassau in the Bahamas as a Category 4 storm on 10/6/2016.

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Malaria outbreaks after the 2010 floods in Pakistan; E. coli and coliform outbreaks from raw sewage in Mississippi flood waters; and cholera spread by heavy rains in Cameroon, West Africa are among the many health hazards associated with flood disasters and torrential rains. In developing regions with limited or vulnerable clean water infrastructure and health resources, any improvements that increase the lead time for warning systems can make a huge difference in protecting the public. Using satellite data to forecast disease outbreaks is an emerging field.

Example 1 - Malaria Modeling: NASA’s Malaria Modeling and Surveillance (MMS) Project’s Global Situational Awareness Tool (GSAT) combines datasets from a number of satellites, including precipitation estimates, to evaluate the risk of malaria worldwide. GPM’s near-global coverage and high-frequency observations also help locate areas at risk for public health crises caused by short-term events such as hurricane-induced flooding, which can cause sewage and sewage-related health issues. For more information on this work please visit: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/30593.

Example 2 - Cholera Forecasting: Work is being done to estimate the risk of cholera after major triggering events, such as storms, by bringing together satellite precipitation data with air temperature anomalies and population to compute maps of estimated cholera risk. One example is shown for Haiti following the passage of Hurricane Matthew 1-2 October, 2016. The goal of this work is to provide improved situational awareness of potential cholera outbreaks before and after potential events. For more information on this work, please contact Antar Jutla (Antarpreet.jutla@mail.wvu.edu).

Plots show a) GPM precipitation anomalies or deviations from normal conditions prior to and b) following Hurricane Matthew; c) track forecast for Matthew over Haiti, d) shows a Cholera risk map based on pre-hurricane hydroclimatic conditions, e) updated Cholera risk map 2 weeks after Hurricane Matthew, and f) reported cases of Cholera as of 10 Oct 2016.

Remotely sensed precipitation estimates play a key role in monitoring and modeling efforts for organizations that track food and water security, like the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWSNET). In addition to the amount and distribution of seasonal rainfall, the timing of the onset of rainfall is an important variable for early estimation of growing season outcomes like crop yield. With their global coverage, satellites can also observe the results of natural disasters such as short- and long-term droughts, floods, and persistent or deficient snow cover that can each affect agricultural productivity. Satellite precipitation estimates from GPM, combined with other environmental datasets, are used to determine the extent and availability of surface rainfall over farm and ranch land within the U.S. Air Force Weather Agency’s AGRicultural METeorology (AGRMET) model. AGRMET analyzes and forecasts rain and snow estimates to use within hydrologic models. Data from NASA’s Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission (and other satellite sensors) can provide additional information on how much water is in the soil, which is useful for assessing drought and flood conditions, and estimating groundwater supplies

Example 1 International Agricultural Forecasting: The International Production Assessment Division (IPAD) is the agricultural forecasting division of the Office of Global Analysis (OGA) within the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). IPAD is responsible for providing monthly global crop estimates and projected crop yields to monitor global crop conditions and ensure agricultural economic security. The USDA FAS is working with NASA and other satellite products to improve agricultural productivity forecasting system through providing NASA products, tools and information. Through this effort, the USDA FAS is implementing enhanced surface and root-zone soil moisture products in order to yield improvements in their crop forecasting system. The application of satellite-based soil moisture estimates from the Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission into the FAS soil moisture model provides significant improvements to vegetation forecasting skill in several areas of the world, particularly areas lacking adequate rain gauge coverage required to characterize rainfall inputs into a soil water balance model. Since the move to operations in spring of 2014, the USDA FAS has demonstrated improvements in their crop monitoring and forecasting ability after applying the new satellite-based product, particularly in sparsely-instrumented countries with moderate-to-severe food security issues. The system is now being adapted to integrate observations from the NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission.

Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA) precipitation artifact carried over to AFWA surfaces soil moisture.

Example 2 - Global Agricultural Drought Monitoring: Accurate, within-season information on factors limiting yield from optimal levels is of significant social benefit, providing essential information on market demand and supply and helping to identify food insecure areas. Current crop production forecasting systems require adequate knowledge of the available soil water in order to properly predict the impact of the in-season weather variations on the end-of-season crop production. Therefore, modeled and remote sensing-based products are an essential source of information which allow for the routine monitoring of moisture availability and vegetation development, particularly over remote areas where ground-based data are limited. The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service is operationally applying NASA’s soil moisture products to monitor global agricultural drought and predict long and short-term impacts on vegetation health and agricultural yields. Merging satellite- and model- based products enable improved estimates of end of season crop yield. These satellite-derived estimates provide equivalent or better of end of season crop yields compared to costly and labor intensive survey-based methods.For more information about the project, please visit https://c3.nasa.gov/water/projects/32/

This image show a screen capture of 10 day average surface soil moisture products posted on the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Crop Explorer website (http://www.pecad.fas.usda.gov/cropexplorer/) for early-November, 2015 (11/01/2015 - 11/10/2015). The image on the top left shows the AFWA precipitation used to generate the model only run shown in the top right plot. The poor precipitation data quality over the region results in limited spatial variability when applied to the USDA FAS soil moisture model. The figure below has improved spatial heterogeneity from the integration of near-real time soil moisture observations from the Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission, which were assimilated into the USDA FAS forecasting system soil moisture model using a 1-D Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF).

Example 2 - Global Agricultural Drought Monitoring: Accurate, within-season information on factors limiting yield from optimal levels is of significant social benefit, providing essential information on market demand and supply and helping to identify food insecure areas. Current crop production forecasting systems require adequate knowledge of the available soil water in order to properly predict the impact of the in-season weather variations on the end-of-season crop production. Therefore, modeled and remote sensing-based products are an essential source of information which allow for the routine monitoring of moisture availability and vegetation development, particularly over remote areas where ground-based data are limited. The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service is operationally applying NASA’s soil moisture products to monitor global agricultural drought and predict long and short-term impacts on vegetation health and agricultural yields. Merging satellite- and model- based products enable improved estimates of end of season crop yield. These satellite-derived estimates provide equivalent or better of end of season crop yields compared to costly and labor intensive survey-based methods.For more information about the project, please visit https://c3.nasa.gov/water/projects/32/

Average estimates of August 2003-2010 predicted end of the growing season corn yields for the central and eastern U.S. from satellite merged product (left plot) and field survey (right plot) show the performance of state-averaged yield predictions. Better forecast accuracy was achieved over most of Central and Eastern U.S. (red colored states).

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FAQs

What is precipitation questions and answers? ›

Answer 1: Precipitation is any type of water that forms in the Earth's atmosphere and then drops onto the surface of the Earth. When a portion of the atmosphere becomes saturated with water vapor, it condenses and precipitates. Most common forms of precipitation are rain, snow, drizzle, hail, etc.

What is the answer of precipitation? ›

Precipitation is any liquid or frozen water that forms in the atmosphere and falls back to the earth. It comes in many forms, like rain, sleet, and snow. Along with evaporation and condensation, precipitation is one of the three major parts of the global water cycle.

Which are examples of precipitation more than 1 correct answer? ›

Complete answer:

Rain, hail, sleet, and snow are all examples of precipitation. Rain happens as water vapour condenses around dust particles in clouds, which gradually become too large for the cloud to support and fall to the ground, collecting even more water and growing even larger.

Why is precipitation data important? ›

Accurate precipitation measurement is necessary for understanding the water cycle and precipitation's impact on the environment. Precise data helps scientists track trends and make predictions of the planet's climate. Accurate precipitation measurement is needed for public safety.

What is 3 example of precipitation? ›

The most common types of precipitation are rain, hail, and snow.

What is precipitation and give 4 examples? ›

The main types of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel, and hail. Precipitation happens when water vapour (reaching 100 percent relative humidity) saturates a portion of the atmosphere so that the water condenses and 'precipitates' or falls.

What are some examples of precipitation *? ›

The different types of precipitation are:
  • Rain. Most commonly observed, drops larger than drizzle (0.02 inch / 0.5 mm or more) are considered rain. ...
  • Drizzle. Fairly uniform precipitation composed exclusively of fine drops very close together. ...
  • Ice Pellets (Sleet) ...
  • Hail. ...
  • Small Hail (Snow Pellets) ...
  • Snow. ...
  • Snow Grains. ...
  • Ice Crystals.

How is precipitation measured? ›

Instruments for measuring precipitation include rain gauges and snow gauges, and various types are manufactured according to the purpose at hand. Rain gauges are discussed in this chapter. Rain gauges are classified into recording and non-recording types.

What are the four 4 types of precipitation *? ›

Precipitation (Water Falling from the Sky)
  • The most common types of precipitation:
  • Rain. ...
  • Snow. ...
  • Hail. ...
  • Sleet.

Does 100% precipitation mean rain? ›

So… if the forecaster knows precipitation is sure to occur ( confidence is 100% ), he/she is expressing how much of the area will receive measurable rain.

What are three 3 ways to measure precipitation? ›

Measuring rainfall can be is primarily done in three different ways using three different types of rain gauges. The three major types of rain gauges are the standard gauge, tipping bucket gauge and weighing gauge.

What is the most common precipitation *? ›

Rainfall is the most common type of precipitation that we all might have experienced. Water vapour in air condenses to form liquid water droplets. When precipitation happens in the form of liquid water, it is called rainfall.

Why is weather data important for life? ›

Weather forecasting is an important science. Accurate forecasting can help to save lives and minimise property damage. It's also crucial for agriculture, allowing farmers to track when it's best to plant or helping them protect their crops. And it will only become more vital in the coming years.

How does global precipitation measurement help humanity? ›

The Global Precipitation Measurement mission is an international network of satellites that provide the next-generation global observations of rain and snow to advance our understanding of Earth's water and energy cycle, improve forecasting of extreme events, and provide accurate and timely information to directly ...

What is precipitation data? ›

General Information. The precipitation data are quality-controlled, multi-sensor (radar and rain gauge) precipitation estimates obtained from National Weather Service (NWS) River Forecast Centers (RFCs) and mosaicked by National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP).

How is precipitation used in everyday life? ›

Precipitation reaction can be used in wastewater treatment. When a contaminant forms an insoluble solid, then we can use this reaction to precipitate out the contaminated ions. In wastewater, a frequent presence of heavy metals can be found such as compounds of sulphide and hydroxide.

What is precipitation made of? ›

Precipitation is water released from clouds in the form of rain, freezing rain, sleet, snow, or hail. It is the primary connection in the water cycle that provides for the delivery of atmospheric water to the Earth. Most precipitation falls as rain.

Can you list 5 types of precipitation? ›

The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, graupel and hail. Precipitation occurs when a portion of the atmosphere becomes saturated with water vapor, so that the water condenses and “precipitates.

What causes different types of precipitation? ›

When particles fall from clouds and reach the surface as precipitation, they do so primarily as rain, snow, freezing rain or sleet. The main difference between these different types of precipitation is the temperature variations between the cloud base and the ground.

What is precipitation quizlet? ›

Precipitation is any form of water that falls from clouds and reaches Earth's surface. Rain, snow, sleet, hail, freezing rain. Rain. The most common kind of Precipitation is Rain. Drops of water are called rain if they are at least 0.5 millimeters in diameter.

Is precipitation wet or dry? ›

Rain is liquid precipitation: water falling from the sky. Raindrops fall to Earth when clouds become saturated, or filled, with water droplets.

How do you read precipitation data? ›

In brief, light blue is light precipitation (light rain), blue — moderate rain, dark blue and green — heavy (rain and heavy rain), orange and purple — extreme (rainfall). The unit of measure is mm per hour.

What does precipitation mean in weather? ›

These are different types of precipitation, but what does 'precipitation' mean? When we talk about precipitation, we are talking about water that is falling out of the sky, this could be rain, drizzle, snow, sleet, hail or something rarer!

What are the 3 causes of precipitation? ›

Causes of precipitation : Cooling of air to the dew point temperature to produce saturation condition. Being a condensation of moist air masses. Growth of droplet.

Why is rain called precipitation? ›

Precipitation occurs when a portion of the atmosphere becomes saturated with water vapor (reaching 100% relative humidity), so that the water condenses and "precipitates" or falls.

What is the most important factor in determining precipitation? ›

To summarize, in warm clouds, cloud droplets grow to precipitation sized drops through the collision-coalescence process. The most important factor in raindrop production is the liquid water content of a cloud.

Is 70% precipitation a lot? ›

40%-50% - SCATTERED - Roughly half of the area will encounter a shower or storm. 60%-70% - NUMEROUS - Much of the area is covered so it's likely you will get wet. 80%-100% - WIDESPREAD - The entire area is covered with showers and storms so everyone gets rain!

What does 50% chance of rain actually mean? ›

Example 1: I am 100% confident that rain will form, but only 50% of the area will be affected. Plug these numbers into the equation. PoP = 1.0 x 0.5 = 0.5 = 50% Probability of Precipitation. Example 2: I am 50% confident that rain will form, but if it does, I am 100% confident that the entire area will be affected.

Does 50% chance of rain mean it will rain all day? ›

IT DOES NOT MEAN...

A 50 percent chance of rain means there is a 50 percent chance for any one spot in the forecast area to get wet during the forecast period.

What is the easiest form of precipitation to measure? ›

Rain and drizzle are the easiest forms of precipitation to measure. Rain gauges are used to measure liquid water depth and can be as simple as an open bucket with a consistent cross section throughout. Meteorologists however, use more accurate instruments and slightly more sophisticated gauges to measure rainfall.

What is simple precipitation method? ›

First precipitation method involved addition of ethanol into an aqueous phase consisting of flour and water, while in the second method (instant precipitation) we added the aqueous phase into the ethanol organic phase.

What causes high precipitation? ›

Warmer oceans increase the amount of water that evaporates into the air. When more moisture-laden air moves over land or converges into a storm system, it can produce more intense precipitation—for example, heavier rain and snow storms.

Where does most precipitation occur? ›

The ocean holds 97% of the total water on the planet; 78% of global precipitation occurs over the ocean, and it is the source of 86% of global evaporation.

What is 100% precipitation in weather? ›

A 0% chance indicates there are not adequate mechanisms in order to generate precipitation. The troposphere is too stable to generate precipitation. A 100% chance guarantees precipitation will occur. A 100% chance will be issued when it is already precipitating or mechanisms are in place to guarantee precipitation.

Why is it important to collect data about weather and climate? ›

That data provides the basis for the forecasts you see on the Weather Channel in the short-term, and aggregated over years and years, it shows how the climate is changing.

Why is it important to record accurate data of the weather condition? ›

Measuring and recording the weather is essential for many reasons: to accumulate an accurate record of the past; to provide a picture of what is happening now and a warning of extreme events; and to give the right starting point for predicting the future, in other words a weather forecast.

Why is data important in climate change? ›

Data and observations are important not only for monitoring the climate system, but also for detecting and attributing climate change, for assessing the impacts of climate variability and change, and for supporting research toward improved understanding, modelling and prediction of the climate system.

How does measuring precipitation help people understand the weather? ›

After the storm has passed, an observer can see exactly how much rain fell. A collection of observations from several rain gauges spread across an area can help a meteorologist see what areas had the heaviest rain. The data can also be used to monitor droughts.

How does precipitation affect people's lives? ›

Heavy rainfall can lead to numerous hazards, for example: flooding, including risk to human life, damage to buildings and infrastructure, and loss of crops and livestock. landslides, which can threaten human life, disrupt transport and communications, and cause damage to buildings and infrastructure.

How is precipitation important to your community? ›

Why is Precipitation Important? Precipitation is needed to replenish water to the earth. Without precipitation, this planet would be an enormous desert. The amount and duration of precipitation events affect both water level and water quality within an estuary.

Is precipitation data normally distributed? ›

The distribution of precipitation in both space and time is typically skewed to the right. Since precipitation data cannot be expected to be normally distributed, the concept of variance has limited meaning for raw precipitation data.

What are some questions about precipitation? ›

General Precipitation Questions
  • What causes precipitation to fall?
  • Is there a specific time of day that a thunderstorm is most likely to occur?
  • What causes thunderstorms?
  • What is the difference between a tropical storm and a tropical depression?
  • How does a hurricane form?

What is precipitation in chemistry short answer? ›

Chemical precipitation is the process of conversion of a solution into solid by converting the substance into insoluble form or by making the solution a super saturated one.

What causes precipitation? ›

Precipitation forms when cloud droplets or ice particles in clouds grow and combine to become so large that the updrafts (e.g. upward moving air) in the clouds can no longer support them, and they fall to the ground.

What factors affect precipitation? ›

The main factors that affect precipitation include prevailing winds, the presence of mountains, and seasons. Prevailing winds carry warm, moist air or cool air over the land. A mountain range in the path of prevailing winds will influence where precipitation falls.

How is precipitation affected by humans? ›

Various human activities and environmental phenomena influence precipitation patterns, including: The burning of fossil fuels, agricultural activities, and deforestation, which increase the concentration greenhouses gases in the atmosphere, and thus the Earth's average temperature.

What is precipitation in Science example? ›

Precipitation is water released from clouds in the form of rain, freezing rain, sleet, snow, or hail.

What do you mean by a precipitation reaction example by giving example? ›

A reaction in which an insoluble solid, known as the precipitate, is formed is called a precipitation reaction. For example: Na2CO3(aq)+CaCl2(aq)→CaCO3(s)↓+2NaCl(aq)

What is the most common form of precipitation? ›

Rainfall is the most common type of precipitation that we all might have experienced. Water vapour in air condenses to form liquid water droplets. When precipitation happens in the form of liquid water, it is called rainfall.

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