We are in the process of migrating all NASA Earth science data sites into Earthdata from now until end of 2026. Not all NASA Earth science data and resources will appear here until then. Thank you for your patience as we make this transition.
Read about the Web Unification Project
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 Sort descending | Version | Platform | Instrument | Temporal Extent | Spatial Extent | Spatial Resolution | Data Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GLDAS VIC Land Surface Model L4 monthly 1.0 x 1.0 degree V2.0 (GLDAS_VIC10_M) at GES DISC | 2.0 | VIC-LSM | NOT APPLICABLE | 1948-01-01 to 2014-12-31 |
N: 90 S: -60 E: 180 W: -180 |
1 Decimal Degrees x 1 Decimal Degrees | |
| GLDAS VIC Land Surface Model L4 monthly 1.0 x 1.0 degree V2.1 (GLDAS_VIC10_M) at GES DISC | 2.1 | VIC-LSM | NOT APPLICABLE | 2000-01-01 to Present |
N: 90 S: -60 E: 180 W: -180 |
1 Decimal Degrees x 1 Decimal Degrees | |
| Global 10-Year Mean Monthly Climatology, 1901-1990 (New et al.) | 1 | NOT APPLICABLE | NOT APPLICABLE | 1901-01-01 to 1991-01-01 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
Shapefile | |
| Global 30-Year Mean Monthly Climatology, 1901-1960 (New et al.) | 1 | NOT APPLICABLE | NOT APPLICABLE | 1901-01-01 to 1961-01-01 |
N: 60 S: -60 E: 180 W: -180 |
Shapefile | |
| Global 30-Year Mean Monthly Climatology, 1930-1960, V2.1 (Cramer and Leeman) | 1 | NOT APPLICABLE | NOT APPLICABLE | 1930-01-01 to 1960-12-31 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
ASCII | |
| Global 30-Year Mean Monthly Climatology, 1961-1990 (New et al.) | 1 | NOT APPLICABLE | NOT APPLICABLE | 1961-01-01 to 1991-01-01 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
ASCII | |
| Global Annual Soil Respiration Data (Raich and Schlesinger 1992) | 1 | FIELD INVESTIGATION | THERMOMETERS, RAIN GAUGES, PHOTOSYNTHESIS CHAMBER, IRGA | 1963-01-01 to 1992-01-01 |
N: 71.18 S: -37.5 E: 146.5 W: -156.4 |
multiple | |
| Global Forecast System (GFS) CPEX | 1 | MODELS | Computer | 2017-05-24 to 2017-07-20 |
N: 40 S: 5 E: -45 W: -100 |
netCDF-3 | |
| Global Forest Ecosystem Structure and Function Data For Carbon Balance Research | 1 | 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 | 2 | 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.) | 1 | COMPUTERS | Computer | 1900-01-01 to 1998-12-31 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
ASCII | |
| Global Monthly Precipitation, 1900-1999 (Hulme) | 1 | 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 | 3.2 | 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 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
0.5 Decimal Degrees x 0.5 Decimal Degrees | |
| GPCP Precipitation Level 3 Daily 0.5-Degree V3.3 (GPCPDAY) at GES DISC | 3.3 | 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 2025-12-31 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
0.5 Decimal Degrees x 0.5 Decimal Degrees | |
| GPCP Precipitation Level 3 Monthly 0.5-Degree V3.2 (GPCPMON) at GES DISC | 3.2 | 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 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
0.5 Decimal Degrees x 0.5 Decimal Degrees | |
| GPCP Precipitation Level 3 Monthly 0.5-Degree V3.3 (GPCPMON) at GES DISC | 3.3 | 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 2025-12-31 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
0.5 Decimal Degrees x 0.5 Decimal Degrees | |
| GPM AMSR-2 on GCOM-W1 Common Calibrated Brightness Temperature L1C 1.5 hours 10 km V07 (GPM_1CGCOMW1AMSR2) at GES DISC | 07 | GCOM-W1 | AMSR2 | 2012-07-02 to 2026-03-01 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
||
| GPM AMSR-2 on GCOM-W1 Common Calibrated Brightness Temperature L1C 1.5 hours 10 km V08 (GPM_1CGCOMW1AMSR2) at GES DISC | 08 | GCOM-W1 | AMSR2 | 2012-07-02 to Present |
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 | 07 | GCOM-W1 | AMSR2 | 2012-07-02 to 2025-12-01 |
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 V08 (GPM_2AGPROFGCOMW1AMSR2_CLIM) at GES DISC | 08 | GCOM-W1 | AMSR2 | 2012-07-02 to Present |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
||
| GPM AMSR-2 on GCOM-W1 (GPROF) Climate-based Radiometer Precipitation Profiling L3 1 day 0.25 degree x 0.25 degree V07 (GPM_3GPROFGCOMW1AMSR2_DAY_CLIM) at GES DISC | 07 | GCOM-W1 | AMSR2 | 2012-07-02 to 2025-11-30 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
||
| GPM AMSR-2 on GCOM-W1 (GPROF) Climate-based Radiometer Precipitation Profiling L3 1 day 0.25 degree x 0.25 degree V08 (GPM_3GPROFGCOMW1AMSR2_DAY_CLIM) at GES DISC | 08 | GCOM-W1 | AMSR2 | 2012-07-02 to Present |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
||
| GPM AMSR-2 on GCOM-W1 (GPROF) Climate-based Radiometer Precipitation Profiling L3 1 month 0.25 degree x 0.25 degree V07 (GPM_3GPROFGCOMW1AMSR2_CLIM) at GES DISC | 07 | GCOM-W1 | AMSR2 | 2012-07-01 to 2025-11-30 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
||
| GPM AMSR-2 on GCOM-W1 (GPROF) Climate-based Radiometer Precipitation Profiling L3 1 month 0.25 degree x 0.25 degree V08 (GPM_3GPROFGCOMW1AMSR2_CLIM) at GES DISC | 08 | GCOM-W1 | AMSR2 | 2012-07-01 to Present |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
||
| GPM AMSR-2 on GCOM-W1 (GPROF) Radiometer Precipitation Profiling L2A 1.5 hours 10 km V07 (GPM_2AGPROFGCOMW1AMSR2) at GES DISC | 07 | GCOM-W1 | AMSR2 | 2022-04-30 to 2026-03-01 |
N: 90 S: -90 E: 180 W: -180 |
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Earthdata Forum
Our online forum provides a space for users to browse thousands of FAQs about research needs, data, and data applications. You can also submit new questions for our experts to answer.
Submit Questions to Earthdata Forumand View Expert Responses