Tracking Rainfall: Exploring Online Resources for Past Precipitation Totals

Tracking Rainfall: Digging Up the Past with Online Precipitation Data

Ever wonder how much rain really fell last summer? Or maybe you’re trying to figure out if this year’s drought is actually worse than the one your grandpa keeps talking about? Whether you’re a scientist crunching numbers, a farmer planning your crops, or just a weather geek like me, getting your hands on historical rainfall data is pure gold. Luckily, the internet’s got you covered. Let’s dive into some of the best online spots to unearth those past precipitation totals.

Government Weather Agencies: The Rock-Solid Foundation

When it comes to rainfall data, government weather agencies are the real MVPs. They’re like the librarians of the weather world, meticulously collecting info from weather stations, double-checking everything, and then making it available to the public. Seriously, these folks are the pros.

• NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration): If you’re in the US, NOAA is the place to start. Think of it as the mother lode of climate data. Their National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) has this crazy-huge archive of weather data from all over the globe, with rainfall measurements going back decades, sometimes even centuries! You can poke around using their Climate Data Online (CDO) tool – search by station name, zip code, whatever floats your boat. And if you really want to geek out, check out datasets like the GHCN-Daily. Plus, they’ve got the Precipitation Frequency Data Server (PFDS) with those NOAA Atlas 14 estimates – super handy for understanding rainfall patterns.

• UK Met Office: Across the pond? The UK Met Office is your go-to. They’ve got climate data from some seriously old-school weather stations, some with records stretching back over a hundred years. We’re talking rainfall totals, temperature averages, the whole shebang. And they update it monthly, so you know you’re getting fairly current info.

• Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM): Down Under, the Australian BoM has been tracking rainfall since 1900. That’s a lot of rain! They’ve got maps, data, the works. You can see rainfall totals, compare them to historical averages, even check out drought info. Their Climate Data Online search tool is pretty slick too, letting you dig into daily and monthly stats.

Beyond the Official Sources: Other Treasure Troves

Okay, the government agencies are awesome, but there are other cool places to find rainfall data too. Think of them as the indie record stores of the weather world.

• Visual Crossing Weather: These guys make it super easy to get historical weather data, including rainfall. They pull data from government weather stations, but they also fill in the gaps by estimating from nearby stations. It’s a great option if you just need data for a specific location or a few dates.

• Datarade: Datarade is like a marketplace for data. They’ve got a bunch of different rainfall data sources, and they focus on finding the most reliable and accurate ones.

• OpenWeatherMap: If you’re a coder, OpenWeatherMap is worth checking out. They provide weather data through APIs, including historical precipitation. They use some fancy machine learning to combine data from different sources.

• CHIRPS (Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station data): This is a cool dataset that covers a huge area of the globe (50°S-50°N) going back to 1981. It’s a great option if you need rainfall data for a larger region.

A Few Words of Wisdom (aka, Things to Keep in Mind)

Before you go diving headfirst into all this data, here are a few things to remember:

• Trust Your Sources: Stick with reputable sources like those government agencies. They’re the ones you can really count on.
• Station, Station, Wherefore Art Thou Station?: Keep in mind that weather stations aren’t everywhere. Some areas have tons, others are pretty sparse.
• Mind the Gaps: Sometimes data is missing. It happens. Just be aware of it.
• Units Matter: Are we talking millimeters or inches? Make sure you know what you’re looking at.
• How Fresh is Fresh?: How often is the data updated? You want to make sure you’re using the latest info.

The Bottom Line

Tracking rainfall used to be a pain. Now, thanks to the internet, it’s easier than ever. So, go forth, explore these online resources, and uncover the secrets of past precipitation. Just remember to be a smart data detective, and you’ll be golden. Happy sleuthing!