Precipitation - Monthly Difference from Average

Colors show where and by how much monthly precipitation totals differed from average precipitation for the same month from 1991-2020. Green areas were wetter than the 30-year average for the month and brown areas were drier. White and very light areas had monthly precipitation totals close to the long-term average.

Daily measurements of rain and snow come from weather stations in the Global Historical Climatology Network (GHCN-D). Volunteer observers or automated instruments gather the data and submit it to the National Center for Environmental Information (NCEI). After scientists check the quality of the data to omit any systematic errors, they calculate each station’s monthly total and plot it on a gridded map. To fill the grid where station data doesn’t exist, a computer program interpolates (or estimates) values, accounting for the distribution of stations and various physical relationships, such as the way temperature changes with altitude.

To calculate the difference-from-average precipitation values shown on these maps—also called precipitation anomalies—NCEI scientists take the total precipitation in each 5x5 km grid box for a single month and year, and subtract its 1991-2020 average for the same month. If the result is a positive number, the region was wetter than average. A negative result from the subtraction means the region was drier than usual.

Shades of brown show places where total precipitation was below the long-term average for the month. Areas shown in shades of green had more rain and/or snow than they averaged from 1991 to 2020. The darker the shade of brown or green, the larger the difference from the average precipitation. White and very light areas show where precipitation totals were the same as or very close to the long-term average.

Comparing an area’s recent precipitation to its long-term average can tell how wet or how dry the area is compared to usual. Knowing if an area is much drier or much wetter than usual can encourage people to pay close attention to on-the-ground conditions that affect daily life and decisions. People check maps like this to judge crop progress; monitor reservoir levels; consider if lawns  and landscaping need water; and to understand the possibilities of flooding.

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.

The data used in these snapshots can be downloaded from different places and in different formats. We used these specific data sources:

NClimGrid Total Precipitation
NClimGrid Precipitation Normals