Climate.gov Data Snapshots: Precipitation - 1991-2020 Monthly Average

Principal Investigator(s):  View help for Principal Investigator(s) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Version:  View help for Version V1

Name File Type Size Last Modified
  Precipitation_1991-2020 Monthly Average 06/11/2025 01:55:PM

Project Citation: 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Climate.gov Data Snapshots: Precipitation - 1991-2020 Monthly Average. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2025-06-11. https://doi.org/10.3886/E232622V1

Project Description

Project Title:  View help for Project Title Climate.gov Data Snapshots: Precipitation - 1991-2020 Monthly Average
Summary:  View help for Summary Dataset consists of twelve monthly images for 1991-2020, available in small, large, broadcast media, full size zip, and KML archive formats. These images were derived from NOAA Monthly U.S. Climate Gridded Dataset (NClimGrid).

Description from Climate.gov:
Q:How much rain and snow usually fall this month?
A:Based on daily observations from 1991-2020, colors on the map show long-term average precipitation totals in 5x5 km grid cells for the month displayed. The darker the color, the higher the total precipitation.

Q:Where do these measurements come from?
A:Daily totals of rain and snow come from weather stations in the Global Historical Climatology Network (GHCN-D). Volunteer observers or automated instruments gathered the data from 1991 to 2020 and submitted them to the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). After scientists checked the quality of the data to omit any systematic errors, they calculated each station’s monthly total and plotted it on a 5x5 km gridded map. To fill in the grid at locations without stations, a computer program interpolates (or estimates) values, accounting for the distribution of stations and various physical relationships, such as the way temperature changes with elevation. The resulting product is the NOAA Monthly U.S. Climate Gridded Dataset (NClimGrid).

Q:What do the colors mean?
A:White areas on the map received an average of zero measurable precipitation during the month from 1991-2020. Areas shown in the lightest green received a monthly average of less than one inch of water from rain or snow over the 30-year period. The darker the color on the map, the higher the average precipitation total for the month. Areas shown in dark blue received an average of eight or more inches of water that fell as either rain or snow. Note that snowfall totals are reported as the amount of liquid water they produce upon melting. Thus, a 10-inch snowfall that melts to produce one inch of liquid water would be counted as one inch of precipitation.

Q:Why do these data matter?
A:Understanding these values provides insight into the “normal” conditions for a month. This type of information is widely used across an array of planning activities, from designing energy distribution networks, to the timing of crop and plant emergence, to choosing the right place and time for recreational activities.

Q:How did you produce these snapshots?
A:Data Snapshots are derivatives of existing data products: to meet the needs of a broad audience, we present the source data in a simplified visual style. This set of snapshots is based on climate data (NClimGrid) produced by and available from the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). To produce our images, we invoke a set of scripts that access the source data and represent them according to our selected color ramps on our base maps.

Additional information
The data used in these snapshots can be downloaded from different places and in different formats. We used these specific data sources:
NClimGrid Precipitation Normals
 
References
Original Distribution URL:  View help for Original Distribution URL https://www.climate.gov/maps-data/data-snapshots/data-source/precipitation-1991-2020-monthly-average

Scope of Project

Subject Terms:  View help for Subject Terms climate change; precipitation; climate
Geographic Coverage:  View help for Geographic Coverage United States of America
Time Period(s):  View help for Time Period(s) 1991 – 2020
Data Type(s):  View help for Data Type(s) images: photographs, drawings, graphical representations
Collection Notes:  View help for Collection Notes Downloaded June 11, 2025.


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