Water is an essential ingredient to life on Earth. In its three phases (solid, liquid, and gas), water continuously cycles within the Earth and atmosphere to create significant parts of our planet’s climate system, such as clouds, rivers, vegetation, oceans, and glaciers. Precipitation is a part of the water cycle, where water particles fall from clouds in the form of rain, sleet, snow, ice crystals, or hail.
So how does precipitation form? As water on Earth’s surface evaporates it changes from liquid to gas and rises into the atmosphere. Because air cools as altitude increases, the vapor rises to a point in the atmosphere where it cools enough to condense into liquid water or freeze into ice, which forms a cloud. Water vapor continues to condense and stick to other water droplets in the cloud until the weight of the accumulated water becomes too heavy for the cloud to hold. If the air in the cloud is above freezing (0 degrees Celsius or 32 degrees Fahrenheit), the water falls to the Earth as rain. If the air in the cloud is below freezing, ice crystals form and it snows if the air between the cloud and the ground stays below 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit). If a snowflake falls through a warmer part of a cloud, it can get coated in water, then refrozen multiple times as it circulates around the cloud. This forms heavy pellets of ice, called hail, that can fall from the sky at speeds estimated between 14 and 116 kmph (9 and 72 mph) depending on its size. A hailstone can range from the size of a pea (approximately 0.6 cm or 0.25 inches) to a golf ball (approximately 4.5 cm or 1.75 inches), and sometimes even reach the size of a softball (approximately 10 cm or 4 inches).
Precipitation doesn’t fall in the same amounts throughout the world. The presence of mountains, global winds, and the unequal distribution of land and sea cause some parts of the world to receive greater amounts of precipitation compared with others. Areas with rising moist air generally indicate regions with high precipitation. According to the Köppen Climate Classification System, tropical wet and tropical monsoon climates receive annual precipitation of 150 cm (59 inches) or greater. Tropical wet regions, where rain occurs year-round, are found near the equator in central Africa, the Amazon rainforest, and southern India. Monsoons are storms with large patterns of wind and heavy rain that can span over a continent. Tropical monsoon climates are located mainly in Southeast Asia and areas around the Pacific Ocean, where annual rainfall is equal to or greater than areas with a tropical wet climate. Here, intense monsoon rains fall during the three hottest months of the year, which are usually between June and October. Snow and ice, which are most common in high altitudes and latitudes, cover most of the Earth’s polar regions. High altitude regions of the Andes, Tibetan Plateau, and the Rocky Mountains maintain some amount of snow cover year-round.
Over the next century, it is predicted warming global temperatures will increase the temperature of the ocean and increase the speed of the water cycle. With a quicker rate of evaporation, there will be more water in the atmosphere, allowing clouds to produce heavier precipitation and more intense storms. Although storms would be more intense in wetter regions, increased evaporation could also lead to extreme drought in drier areas of the world. This would greatly affect farmers who grow crops in dry locations like Southern California or Kansas.
This map layer shows Earth's mean precipitation (measured in centimeters per month) averaged from 1981 to 2012 as calculated but the Copernicus Climate Change Service. The data was collected from the Copernicus satellite and validated with precipitation measurements from weather stations. Scientists averaged all of the amounts (originally collected in meters) occurring each month together, and they calculated the average of each month over 30 years to create this map.
Between 2001 and 2024, the average rainfall in the United Kingdom varied greatly. In 2010, rainfall dropped to a low of 1,020 millimeters, which was a noticeable decrease when compared to the previous year. However, the following year, rainfall increased significantly to a peak of 1,889 millimeters. During the period in consideration, rainfall rarely rose above 1,500 millimeters. In 2024, the annual average rainfall in the UK surpassed 1,386 millimeters. Monthly rainfall On average, rainfall is most common at the start and end of the year. Between 2014 and 2024, monthly rainfall peaked in December 2015 at approximately 217 millimeters. This was the first of only two times during this period that the average monthly rainfall rose above 200 millimeters. This was a deviation from December’s long-term mean of some 134 millimeters. Rainfall highest in Scotland In the United Kingdom, rain is often concentrated around mountainous regions such as the Scottish Highlands, so it is no surprise to see that – on average – it is Scotland that receives the most rainfall annually. However, in 2024, Wales received the highest rainfall amounting to approximately 1,600 millimeters. Geographically, it is the north and west of the United Kingdom that receives the lion's share of rain, as it is more susceptible to rainfall coming in from the Atlantic.
In 2024, the United States saw some **** inches of precipitation. The main forms of precipitation include hail, drizzle, rain, sleet, and snow. Since the turn of the century, 2012 was the driest year on record with an annual precipitation of **** inches. Regional disparities in rainfall Louisiana emerged as the wettest state in the U.S. in 2024, recording a staggering ***** inches (*** meters) of precipitation—nearly **** inches (ca. ** centimeters) above its historical average. In stark contrast, Nevada received only **** inches (ca. ** centimeters), underscoring the vast differences in rainfall across the nation. These extremes illustrate the uneven distribution of precipitation, with the southwestern states experiencing increasingly dry conditions that experts predict will worsen in the coming years. Drought concerns persist Drought remains a significant concern in many parts of the country. The Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) for the contiguous United States stood at ***** in December 2024, indicating moderate to severe drought conditions. This reading follows three years of generally negative PDSI values, with the most extreme drought recorded in December 2023 at *****.
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Cameroon CM: Average Precipitation in Depth data was reported at 1,604.000 mm/Year in 2020. This stayed constant from the previous number of 1,604.000 mm/Year for 2019. Cameroon CM: Average Precipitation in Depth data is updated yearly, averaging 1,604.000 mm/Year from Dec 1961 (Median) to 2020, with 60 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,604.000 mm/Year in 2020 and a record low of 1,604.000 mm/Year in 2020. Cameroon CM: Average Precipitation in Depth data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Cameroon – Table CM.World Bank.WDI: Environmental: Land Use, Protected Areas and National Wealth. Average precipitation is the long-term average in depth (over space and time) of annual precipitation in the country. Precipitation is defined as any kind of water that falls from clouds as a liquid or a solid.;Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site.;;
The wettest months in the United Kingdom tend to be at the start and end of the year. In the period of consideration, the greatest measurement of rainfall was nearly 217 millimeters, recorded in December 2015. The lowest level of rainfall was recorded in April 2021, at 20.6 millimeters. Rainy days The British Isles are known for their wet weather, and in 2024 there were approximately 164 rain days in the United Kingdom. A rainday is when more than one millimeter of rain falls within a day. Over the past 30 years, the greatest number of rain days was recorded in the year 2000. In that year, the average annual rainfall in the UK amounted to 1,242.1 millimeters. Climate change According to the Met Office, climate change in the United Kingdom has resulted in the weather getting warmer and wetter. In 2022, the annual average temperature in the country reached a new record high, surpassing 10 degrees Celsius for the first time. This represented an increase of nearly two degrees Celsius when compared to the annual average temperature recorded in 1910. In a recent survey conducted amongst UK residents, almost 80 percent of respondents had concerns about climate change.
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Contained within the 3rd Edition (1957) of the Atlas of Canada is a plate that shows two maps for the annual total precipitation. Annual precipitation is defined as the sum of rainfall and the assumed water equivalent of snowfall for a given year. A specific gravity of 0.1 for freshly fallen snow is used, which means that ten inches (25.4 cm) of freshly fallen snow is assumed to be equal to one inch (2.54 cm) of rain. The mean annual total precipitation and snowfall maps on this plate are primarily based on thirty-year data during the period 1921 to 1950 inclusive.
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Rainfall data for Delhi from IMD
Upon reactivation, movement of deep-seated landslides in the Greater Pittsburgh region may persist for long periods of time. Monitoring equipment was located at two sites on a deep-seated rockslide in Aleppo Township, Pennsylvania to establish relationships between precipitation and changes in the state of activity and velocity. Precipitation, snow depth, and air temperature are monitored at a weather station (ARS_WS) located in a relatively flat, open area in the northern part of the rockslide. Displacement and soil moisture are monitored at a second site located in the southern part of a graben (ARS_GR) in the head of the rockslide. At ARS_WS, instrumentation includes a tipping bucket rain gauge, temperature probe, and a sonic ranging sensor, and at ARS_GR instrumentation includes two cable extension transducers and a soil moisture probe. This data release presents the time series data from this instrumentation for an initial monitoring period starting on November 6, 2013 and ending on December 31, 2018. The data release generally presents the output for each sensor type as recorded on the datalogger, except in one case, for which the output requires conversion to engineering units and the factor necessary to make this conversion is provided. ARS_WS instrumentation Rain gauge: The rain gauge at ARS_WS has a resolution of 0.01 inch (in.) and an accuracy of 1 percent for rainfall intensities up to 2 in/hr. Initially, rainfall was recorded by a Hobo event datalogger and each event was equal to 0.01 in. Beginning on November 18, 2016, 15-minute (min) rainfall totals were recorded by a Campbell Scientific CR1000 datalogger. The rain gauge collector is subject to periodic clogging due to vegetative debris and insect activity. This type of rain gauge is not designed to accurately measure the snow water equivalent of snow fall and likely underestimates precipitation during the winter. Maintenance of the rain gauge is only performed periodically during site visits to retrieve data, install or maintain equipment, or perform other work. No field calibration was performed on the rain gauge. Snow depth sensor: Snow depth is measured using a sonic ranging sensor that has a resolution of 0.25 millimeters (mm) (0.01 in.) and a stated accuracy of 1 centimeter (cm) based on the height of the sensor, which was installed 1.68 meters (m) above the ground. Measurements are recorded on an hourly interval. Quality numbers (Q) provide additional information about snow depth measurement certainty. An explanation of the quality number ranges is included as a separate text file (QualityNos_SnowDepth_ReadMe.txt). In May 2015, a square meter (m2), flat measurement area covered with locally derived claystone fragments was constructed beneath the sensor. Periodic maintenance of the site entails removing vegetation from this and the surrounding area in the fall prior to the initial snow fall. Air temperature probe: Air temperature is measured using a temperature probe housed in 6-plate solar radiation shield. The probe consists of a thermistor in an epoxy-filled aluminum housing. The probe has a stated measurement range of -30oC to +50oC with no more than 0.01oC error over this range. Average air temperature is recorded at 15-min intervals. ARS_WS_DATA.xlsx contains three worksheets labeled EVENT, 15MIN, and 1HR. The EVENT worksheet contains the following fields: TIMESTAMP_EST - records the timestamp in the format mm/dd/yyyy hh:mm, Eastern Standard Time; and EVENT – records precipitation, where each event equals 0.01 in. The 15MIN worksheet contains the following fields: TIMESTAMP_EST - records the timestamp in the format mm/dd/yyyy hh:mm, Eastern Standard Time; AT_Avg – records the average air temperature in degrees Celsius; PRCP_Tot – records the total precipitation in inches; and BV_Avg – records the average battery voltage in volts. The 1HR worksheet contains the following fields: TIMESTAMP_EST - records the timestamp in the format mm/dd/yyyy hh:mm, Eastern Standard Time; AT_Avg – records the average air temperature in degrees Celsius; DT_Avg – records the average distance to target in meters; Q_Avg -records the quality number; TCDT_Avg – records the average temperature corrected distance to target in meters; and SD_Avg – records the snow depth (when snow is present) in meters. ARS_GR Instrumentation Cable Extension Transducers: Displacement and ground surface rotation is monitored at two locations near the margins of the graben using cable extension transducers (CETs) that have a 152-cm (60-in.) range and an accuracy of 0.1 percent of full stroke (potential deviations may range up to 1.5 mm). Both CETs are mounted above the ground surface on a 5.1-cm (2-in.) diameter stainless steel pole that is grouted approximately 90 cm deep into the slope colluvium and uppermost weathered/fractured claystone. An Invar wire attached to the factory-installed cable on each CET provides the required additional length to reach the anchor point. At the first _location (CET01_MS), the anchor point consists of a stainless-steel eyebolt grouted into the sandstone exposed in the main scarp free face. At the second _location on the western margin of the graben (CET02_AS), the cable is anchored to a stainless-steel pole grouted into the antithetic (upslope-facing) scarp slope. The CET data may be affected by falling tree limbs throughout the year and cable icing in winter. The average eyelet position (or amount of cable extension), measured in cm, is recorded at 15-min intervals. Soil moisture probe: The volumetric water content (VWC) of the shallow colluvial deposit is measured using water content reflectometer. The probe derives VWC from its sensitivity to dielectric permittivity and has an accuracy of approximately ±3 percent. The probe was inserted into the upslope wall of shallow hand-excavated test pit using an insertion guide tool to create two parallel holes for the probe rods. The probe was installed at a depth of 20 cm, a depth approximately half the total thickness of the colluvium at that _location. The pit is located approximately 4 m downslope from the stress relief joint that is the main scarp free face. The average slope of the ground surface is about 18 percent (10 degrees). Average volumetric water content in meters3/meters3 (m3/m3), electrical conductivity in deciSiemens/meter (dS/m), and soil temperature (°C) are recorded at either 15-min or hourly intervals. ARS_GR_DATA.xlsx contains two worksheets labeled 15MIN and 1HR. The 15MIN worksheet contains the following fields: TIMESTAMP_EST - records the timestamp in the format mm/dd/yyyy hh:mm, Eastern Standard Time; CET01_MS_Avg – records the average extension at cable extension transducer CET01_MS in cm; CET02_AS_Avg – records the average extension at cable extension transducer CET02_AS in cm; VWC_20_Avg – records the average volumetric water content at a depth of 20 cm in m3/m3; EC_20_Avg – records the average electrical conductivity at a depth of 20 cm in dS/m; ST_20_Avg – records average soil temperature at a depth of 20 cm in °C; and BV_Avg – records the average battery voltage in volts. The 1HR worksheet contains the following fields: TIMESTAMP_EST - records the timestamp in the format mm/dd/yyyy hh:mm, Eastern Standard Time; VWC_20_Avg – records the average volumetric water content at a depth of 20 cm in m3/m3; EC_20_Avg – records the average electrical conductivity at a depth of 20 cm in dS/m; and ST_20_Avg – records average soil temperature at a depth of 20 cm in °C. Details of this study are described in the journal article: Ashland, F. X., and Delano, H. L., 2015, Continuous monitoring of meteorological conditions and movement of a deep-seated, persistently moving rockslide along Interstate Route 79 near Pittsburgh: Pennsylvania Geology, v. 45, no. 2, p. 22–26.
The United Kingdom experienced an average of ******* millimeters of rainfall in 2024, a decrease of *** percent in comparison to the previous year. While 2024 saw substantial rainfall, it did not surpass the thus-far peak of the century, with ***** millimeters of rain recorded in 2000. Regional variations and seasonal patterns Rainfall distribution across the UK is far from uniform, with Scotland and Wales consistently receiving the highest annual precipitation. In 2024, they recorded an average of ******* millimeters and ******* millimeters, respectively, significantly above the UK’s average. This disparity is largely due to both countries’ mountainous terrain, which is more susceptible to Atlantic weather systems. Seasonally, the wettest months in the UK typically occur in the winter, with the highest precipitation levels seen between November and February. Climate change impact on UK weather Climate change is influencing UK weather patterns, leading to warmer and wetter conditions overall. While annual rainfall fluctuates, there is a trend towards more extreme weather events. For example, 2020 and 2022 saw rain deviations from the long-term mean in the UK of more than 100 millimeters in February. As weather patterns continue to evolve, monitoring rainfall trends remains crucial for understanding and adapting to a changing climate.
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Data found in this dataset was collected from the Climate Data Online (CDO) of the National Centers For Environmental Information (NCEI). It contains daily country average precipitation and air temperature data (in metric units). The original dataset collected from the CDO's site consisted of around 4.9 million individual observations from 1306 distinct weather stations throughout the three countries. Missing data points were imputed with the daily mean and averaged across all weather stations within the country.
Additional notes on the original dataset for consideration: - Not every weather station reported every day (records/samples or rows of data) - Not every weather station reported on every observation (precipitation, snow depth, temperature average, temperature) - Percentage of missing data should be considered
Country | Weather stations | Records | Observations |
---|---|---|---|
Finland | 261 | 450,377 | 966,641 |
Norway | 328 | 545,560 | 1,293,193 |
Sweden | 717 | 1,160,751 | 2,608,227 |
Total | 1306 | 2,156,688 | 4,868,061 |
Percentage of missing values in the original datasets: | Country | Precipitation | Snow depth | TAVG | TMAX | TMIN | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Finland | 24% | 96% | 89% | 38% | 38% | | Norway | 12% | 30% | 94% | 63% | 64% | | Sweden | 5% | 43% | 99% | 65% | 65% |
A raster dataset of the 30-year normal, annual precipitation values.
Regardless of whether the rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain, the truth is annual precipitations in the Mediterranean country experienced a downward trend in recent years, with around *** millimeters of rainfall recorded in 2023. Nevertheless, this figure increased in 2024. For instance, March – one of Spain's wettest months – registered just over *** millimeters of rain in 2024, up ** percent from the same month the previous year. However, the record high of *** millimeters was recorded in March 2018. Spain: Europe’s suntrapMany picture Spain as a dream summer holiday destination – Mediterranean cuisine in the form of tapas, great beaches, and what many visit the country for – its warm climate and sweet sunshine. This enthusiasm for the European country is then not too surprising, since most of its sunniest areas exceeded ***** hours of sunshine according to data provided by the Spanish Statistics Institute. Tourism constitutes an essential industry for the Spanish economic systemTravel and tourism have become one of the leading engines of growth for the Spanish economy, featuring an ongoing increase in the GDP contribution over the last years – despite a drop due to the COVID-19 pandemic – and is projected to reach nearly *** billion euros in 2025.
In 2023, the annual rainfall measured across India amounted to ***** millimeters. This was a decrease from around ***** millimeters of rainfall recorded one year earlier. The month of July saw the highest amount of rainfall in 2023 across the country.
Daily summary data at NPP C-CALI met station. Average/maximum/minimum air temperature; average/maximum relative humidity and wind speed and average wind direction. These are measured and calculated based on 1-second scan rate of all sensors located at an automated meteorological station installed at Jornada LTER NPP C-CALI site. Wind speed is measured at 75 cm, 150 cm, and 300 cm, wind direction at approximately 3m, and air temperature and relative humidity at approximate 2.5m. This climate station is operated by the Jornada LTER Program. This is an ONGOING dataset.
Hourly summary data at NPP P-COLL met station. Average/maximum/minimum air temperature; average relative humidity and wind direction; average/maximum wind speed. These are measured and calculated based on 1-second scan rate of all sensors located at an automated meteorological station installed at Jornada LTER NPP P-COLL site. Wind speed is measured at 75 cm, 150 cm, and 300 cm, wind direction at approximately 3m, and air temperature and relative humidity at approximate 2.5m. This climate station is operated by the Jornada LTER Program. This is an ONGOING dataset.
The following abstract is from Price, R.M., Nuttle, W.K., Cosby, B.J., and Swart, P.K. 2007. Variation and Uncertainty in Evaporation from a Subtropical Estuary: Florida Bay, Estuaries and Coasts. 30(3): 497-506: Variation and uncertainty in estimated evaporation was determined over time and between two locations in Florida Bay, a subtropical estuary. Meteorological data were collected from September 2001 to August 2002 at Rabbit Key and Butternut Key within the Bay. Evaporation was estimated using both vapor flux and energy budget methods. The results were placed into a long-term context using 33 years of temperature and rainfall data collected in south Florida. Evaporation also was estimated from this long-term data using an empirical formula relating evaporation to clear sky solar radiation and air temperature. Evaporation estimates for the 12-mo period ranged from 144 to 175 cm yr21, depending on location and method, with an average of 163 cm yr21 (6 9%). Monthly values ranged from 9.2 to 18.5 cm, with the highest value observed in May, corresponding with the maximum in measured net radiation. Uncertainty estimates derived from measurement errors in the data were as much as 10%, and were large enough to obscure differences in evaporation between the two sites. Differences among all estimates for any month indicate the overall uncertainty in monthly evaporation, and ranged from 9% to 26%. Over a 33-yr period (1970 to 2002), estimated annual evaporation from Florida Bay ranged from 148 to 181 cm yr21, with an average of 166 cm yr21. Rainfall was consistently lower in Florida Bay than evaporation, with a long-term average of 106 cm yr21. Rainfall considered alone was uncorrelated with evaporation at both monthly and annual time scales; when the seasonal variation in clear sky radiation was also taken into account both net radiation and evaporation were significantly suppressed in months with high rainfall.
This data release includes information used to support interpretations of relations between precipitation and soil moisture for a U.S. Geological Survey post-fire monitoring array installed near Malibu, CA following the 2007 Canyon fire. The 3 datasets are: 1) a time series of precipitation from three tipping bucket rain gages in individual files (Schmidt_2020_CANVQRG1.csv, Schmidt_2020_CANVQRG2.csv, and Schmidt_2020_CANTPRG3.csv; where RG in file name is abbreviation for rain gage), 2) a time series of a total of 9 soil moisture probes distributed with three soil moisture probes installed at varying depths from 3 individual soil pits in 3 individual files grouped by pit (Schmidt_2020_CANVQSM1.csv, Schmidt_2020_CANVQSM2.csv, and Schmidt_2020_CANVQSM3.csv; where SM in file name is abbreviation for soil moisture), and 3) locational and temporal record information for the instruments including manufacturer and serial number as tabular data (Schmidt_2020_Canyon_Fire_Instrument_info.csv) and a shapefile including location information (Schmidt_2020_instruments.shp) as well as a 4 band raster geospatial data file (Schmidt_2020_CAN_RG_SM.png). The data was generally collected from December 1, 2007 to September 5, 2008. Tipping bucket rain gages recorded 0.2 mm per tip with either an irregular time stamp representing each successive tip (CANVQRG1 and CANTPRG3) or at a regular four-minute interval (CANVQRG2) with all null values, representing no measurable precipitation, removed for clarity. Time-progressive cumulative rainfall is reported. Rain gage “CANVQRG1” was located closest to soil moisture monitoring instruments (“CANVQSM1, “CANVQSM2”, and “CANVQSM3”). Soil moisture probes recorded dimensionless volumetric water content in m^3/m^3 utilizing the dielectric constant of the media using capacitance or frequency domain technology. Probes were placed at three different depths in the soil: 5, 15 and 30 cm below the ground surface. Pit CANVQSM1 located closer to top of ridge, pit CANVQSM2 located mid-slope, and pit CANVQSM3 located downslope closer to the base of the hillslope. Soil moisture measurements were logged at regular time intervals, varying between two or six minutes, with recorded values reported as averages for that two- or six-minute interval. Column headers for soil moisture data denote unique instrument serial number and placement depth below ground surface in centimeters. Data pertaining to instrumental error was removed and entries left as null values. Negative reported values, outside of normal instrument recording range, during dry and likely hot conditions were left unmodified within data sets. All geographic coordinates reported as UTM NAD83 Zone 11N. All times are in Pacific Standard Time set to field laptop with migration forward one hour at 2 am on March 9, 2008.
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Rainfall: Cumulative: Karnataka: Shimoga: Normal data was reported at 78.600 mm in 18 May 2025. This records an increase from the previous number of 75.900 mm for 17 May 2025. Rainfall: Cumulative: Karnataka: Shimoga: Normal data is updated daily, averaging 110.000 mm from Jun 2018 (Median) to 18 May 2025, with 2489 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,626.500 mm in 30 Sep 2024 and a record low of 0.000 mm in 01 Mar 2025. Rainfall: Cumulative: Karnataka: Shimoga: Normal data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by India Meteorological Department. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Environment – Table IN.EVB012: Rainfall: by District: Cumulative.
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This links to a file called report.json which contains Agricultural Meteorology Data for the past 7 days for a number of synoptic weather stations. The file is updated daily. Notes on the table All data are averaged or summed over the 7 day period A blank entry means that data were not available Normal means 30 year means from 1981 to 2010 • TEMP: Average Air Temperature and difference from normal in degrees C • Rain: Total rainfall in mm and % of normal • Sun: Total sunshine duration in hours and % of normal • Sail: Average 10 cm soil temperature in degrees C and difference from normal • Wind: Average wind speed in Knots and difference from normal • Radiation: Total solar radiation in Joules/cm² and % of normal
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Hourly summary data at NPP C-GRAV met station. Average/maximum/minimum air temperature; average relative humidity and wind direction; average/maximum wind speed. These are measured and calculated based on 1-second scan rate of all sensors located at an automated meteorological station installed at Jornada LTER NPP C-GRAV site. Wind speed is measured at 75 cm, 150 cm, and 300 cm, wind direction at approximately 3m, and air temperature and relative humidity at approximate 2.5m. This climate station is operated by the Jornada LTER Program. This is an ONGOING dataset. Resources in this dataset:Resource Title: Website Pointer to html file. File Name: Web Page, url: https://portal.edirepository.org/nis/mapbrowse?scope=knb-lter-jrn&identifier=210437032 Webpage with information and links to data files for download
Water is an essential ingredient to life on Earth. In its three phases (solid, liquid, and gas), water continuously cycles within the Earth and atmosphere to create significant parts of our planet’s climate system, such as clouds, rivers, vegetation, oceans, and glaciers. Precipitation is a part of the water cycle, where water particles fall from clouds in the form of rain, sleet, snow, ice crystals, or hail.
So how does precipitation form? As water on Earth’s surface evaporates it changes from liquid to gas and rises into the atmosphere. Because air cools as altitude increases, the vapor rises to a point in the atmosphere where it cools enough to condense into liquid water or freeze into ice, which forms a cloud. Water vapor continues to condense and stick to other water droplets in the cloud until the weight of the accumulated water becomes too heavy for the cloud to hold. If the air in the cloud is above freezing (0 degrees Celsius or 32 degrees Fahrenheit), the water falls to the Earth as rain. If the air in the cloud is below freezing, ice crystals form and it snows if the air between the cloud and the ground stays below 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit). If a snowflake falls through a warmer part of a cloud, it can get coated in water, then refrozen multiple times as it circulates around the cloud. This forms heavy pellets of ice, called hail, that can fall from the sky at speeds estimated between 14 and 116 kmph (9 and 72 mph) depending on its size. A hailstone can range from the size of a pea (approximately 0.6 cm or 0.25 inches) to a golf ball (approximately 4.5 cm or 1.75 inches), and sometimes even reach the size of a softball (approximately 10 cm or 4 inches).
Precipitation doesn’t fall in the same amounts throughout the world. The presence of mountains, global winds, and the unequal distribution of land and sea cause some parts of the world to receive greater amounts of precipitation compared with others. Areas with rising moist air generally indicate regions with high precipitation. According to the Köppen Climate Classification System, tropical wet and tropical monsoon climates receive annual precipitation of 150 cm (59 inches) or greater. Tropical wet regions, where rain occurs year-round, are found near the equator in central Africa, the Amazon rainforest, and southern India. Monsoons are storms with large patterns of wind and heavy rain that can span over a continent. Tropical monsoon climates are located mainly in Southeast Asia and areas around the Pacific Ocean, where annual rainfall is equal to or greater than areas with a tropical wet climate. Here, intense monsoon rains fall during the three hottest months of the year, which are usually between June and October. Snow and ice, which are most common in high altitudes and latitudes, cover most of the Earth’s polar regions. High altitude regions of the Andes, Tibetan Plateau, and the Rocky Mountains maintain some amount of snow cover year-round.
Over the next century, it is predicted warming global temperatures will increase the temperature of the ocean and increase the speed of the water cycle. With a quicker rate of evaporation, there will be more water in the atmosphere, allowing clouds to produce heavier precipitation and more intense storms. Although storms would be more intense in wetter regions, increased evaporation could also lead to extreme drought in drier areas of the world. This would greatly affect farmers who grow crops in dry locations like Southern California or Kansas.
This map layer shows Earth's mean precipitation (measured in centimeters per month) averaged from 1981 to 2012 as calculated but the Copernicus Climate Change Service. The data was collected from the Copernicus satellite and validated with precipitation measurements from weather stations. Scientists averaged all of the amounts (originally collected in meters) occurring each month together, and they calculated the average of each month over 30 years to create this map.