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Precipitation Data Access and Tools
NASA has a wide range of precipitation data, from hourly rainfall estimates to reanalysis datasets looking back decades. Our datasets and tools help users spot characteristics, trends, patterns, and anomalies in the precipitation that falls to Earth and understand how it affects natural areas and human communities.
Precipitation Datasets
| Dataset | Platforms | Instruments | Temporal Extent | Location Keywords | Spatial Extent | Data Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Global Forecast System (GFS) CPEX | MODELS | Computer | 2017-05-24 to 2017-07-20 | CARIBBEAN | N: 40 S: 5 E: -45 W: -100 | netCDF-3 |
| Global Forest Ecosystem Structure and Function Data For Carbon Balance Research | NOAA-14 | AVHRR | 1897-01-01 to 2006-12-31 | N: 67.36 S: -42.87 E: 172.75 W: -159.5 | Shapefile | |
| Global Historical Climatology Network, 1753-1990 | METEOROLOGICAL STATIONS | RAIN GAUGES, BAROMETERS, THERMOMETERS | 1753-01-01 to 1990-12-31 | N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 | multiple | |
| Global Monthly Climatology for the Twentieth Century (New et al.) | COMPUTERS | Computer | 1900-01-01 to 1998-12-31 | N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 | ASCII | |
| Global Monthly Precipitation, 1900-1999 (Hulme) | NOT APPLICABLE | NOT APPLICABLE | 1900-01-01 to 1999-01-01 | N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 | ASCII | |
| GPCP Precipitation Level 3 Daily 0.5-Degree V3.2 (GPCPDAY) at GES DISC | DMSP, NOAA POES, Aqua, GOES, METEOSAT, GMS, MTSAT, Himawari-8, WEATHER STATIONS | SSM/I, TOVS, AIRS, GOES-15 Imager, GOES-16 Imager, VISSR-METEOSAT, VISSR-GMS, MTSAT 1R Imager, MTSAT 2 Imager, AHI, RAIN GAUGES | 2000-06-01 to 2021-09-30 | GLOBAL | N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 | |
| GPCP Precipitation Level 3 Daily 0.5-Degree V3.3 (GPCPDAY) at GES DISC | DMSP, NOAA POES, Aqua, GOES, METEOSAT, GMS, MTSAT, Himawari-8, WEATHER STATIONS | SSM/I, SSMIS, TOVS, AIRS, GOES-15 Imager, GOES-16 Imager, VISSR-METEOSAT, VISSR-GMS, MTSAT 1R Imager, MTSAT 2 Imager, AHI, RAIN GAUGES | 1998-01-01 to 2024-09-30 | GLOBAL | N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 | |
| GPCP Precipitation Level 3 Monthly 0.5-Degree V3.2 (GPCPMON) at GES DISC | DMSP, NOAA POES, Aqua, GOES, METEOSAT, GMS, MTSAT, Himawari-8, WEATHER STATIONS | SSMIS, SSM/I, TOVS, AIRS, GOES-15 Imager, GOES-16 Imager, VISSR-METEOSAT, VISSR-GMS, MTSAT 1R Imager, MTSAT 2 Imager, AHI, RAIN GAUGES | 1983-01-01 to 2023-12-31 | GLOBAL | N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 | |
| GPCP Precipitation Level 3 Monthly 0.5-Degree V3.3 (GPCPMON) at GES DISC | DMSP, NOAA POES, Aqua, GOES, METEOSAT, GMS, MTSAT, Himawari-8, WEATHER STATIONS | SSMIS, SSM/I, TOVS, AIRS, GOES-15 Imager, GOES-16 Imager, VISSR-METEOSAT, VISSR-GMS, MTSAT 1R Imager, MTSAT 2 Imager, AHI, RAIN GAUGES | 1983-01-01 to 2024-09-30 | GLOBAL | N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 | |
| GPM AMSR-2 on GCOM-W1 (GPROF) Climate-based Radiometer Precipitation Profiling L2A 1.5 hours 10 km V07 (GPM_2AGPROFGCOMW1AMSR2_CLIM) at GES DISC | GCOM-W1 | AMSR2 | 2012-07-02 to Present | GLOBAL | N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
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Featured Precipitation Observation Method: GPM
NASA's Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) platform provides next-generation global observations of rain and snow to help researchers better understand Earth's water and energy cycles and forecast extreme weather and related events.
During this webinar we will provide an overview of TRMM and GPM precipitation data products and discuss the various ways to discover and access these data. We will also demonstrate the visualization and analysis tools and services provided by NASA's Goddard Earth Science Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC).
NASA’s global precipitation data and data processing systems have come a long way from the launch of TRMM in 1997 to the ongoing GPM mission.
9 MIN READ
Precipitation Data Tools
| Tool Sort descending | Description | Services | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Worldview | Worldview offers the capability to interactively browse over 1,200 global, full-resolution satellite imagery layers and download the underlying data. | Analysis, Search and Discovery, Visualization, Access, Comparison, Monitoring Natural Events |
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Frequently Asked Questions
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