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Monitoring of heavy precipitation events

These images show locations where average recurrence intervals for precipitation have been exceeded. These are referred to, for example, as "100-year rainstorms", though this terminology can cause confusion, so a more accurate description is "less than a 1% probability of occurring at a given location in any given year." This is an automated search for the types of events discussed in Schumacher and Johnson (2005, 2006) and Stevenson and Schumacher (2014), using gridded precipitation analyses, as well as updated to use NOAA's Atlas 14 to define the average recurrence intervals. (In the states of Washington and Oregon, Atlas 14 has not yet been updated, so no points are shown.) Archived images from past events when the thresholds have been exceeded are shown below.

Each dataset has been regridded to a 4-km latitude-longitude grid (the same grid used by the PRISM Climate Group) prior to calculating the exceedance points. This allows for a closer "apples-to-apples" comparison between precipitation datasets. The archive of past events is actively under development; if you don't yet see images for a particular dataset/duration, check back soon! Recent data (e.g., within the current year) has not undergone quality control, so use recent maps with caution.


Select dataset: Stage IVMRMSPRISMCONUS404CoCoRaHS      Current maps  Interactive maps of past events
Select average recurrence interval: 10-year100-year1000-year
Select duration: 72-hour48-hour24-hour6-hour
Select year: 198119821983198419851986198719881989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022

Left arrow for previous frame, right arrow for next, space to pause/play; click to open image in new tab. Each event is listed as "mmddhh_e" (2-digit month, 2-digit day, 2-digit hour for end of accumulation period, one digit for the event number on this date).

   
010112_0 010612_0 011312_0 013112_0 013112_1 020612_0 020712_0 020712_1 020812_0 022312_0 022312_1 031312_0 031312_1 032012_0 040312_0 040412_0 040712_0 040912_0 041212_0 041312_0 041312_1 041312_2 041412_0 041412_1 041412_2 041412_3 041512_0 041612_0 041612_1 041612_2 041712_0 041712_1 041712_2 041712_3 041812_0 041812_1 041812_2 041912_0 041912_1 041912_2 042512_0 042712_0 050412_0 050512_0 050512_1 050512_2 050512_3 050612_0 050612_1 050712_0 050712_1 050812_0 050812_1 050812_2 050912_0 050912_1 050912_2 051012_0 051012_1 051012_2 051012_3 051012_4 051012_5 051112_0 051112_1 051112_2 051212_0 051212_1 051312_0 051312_1 051312_2 051412_0 051412_1 051612_0 051612_1 051612_2 051612_3 051612_4 051612_5 051612_6 051712_0 051712_1 051712_2 051712_3 051812_0 051912_0 051912_1 051912_2 052012_0 052112_0 052212_0 052212_1 052312_0 052312_1 052412_0 052412_1 052412_2 052412_3 052412_4 052512_0 052512_1 052512_2 052612_0 052612_1 052612_2 052712_0 052712_1 052712_2 052712_3 052712_4 052812_0 052812_1 052812_2 052912_0 052912_1 052912_2 052912_3 052912_4 053012_0 053012_1 053012_2 053112_0 060112_0 060112_1 060212_0 060212_1 060312_0 060312_1 060312_2 060312_3 060312_4 060412_0 060412_1 060412_2 060512_0 060512_1 060512_2 060512_3 060512_4 060612_0 060612_1 060612_2 060612_3 060712_0 060712_1 060712_2 060712_3 060812_0 060912_0 061112_0 061112_1 061112_2 061112_3 061212_0 061212_1 061212_2 061212_3 061212_4 061312_0 061412_0 061412_1 061412_2 061512_0 061512_1 061512_2 061512_3 061512_4 061612_0 061612_1 061612_2 061612_3 061612_4 061712_0 061712_1 061812_0 061812_1 061812_2 061812_3 061912_0 061912_1 061912_2 061912_3 061912_4 062012_0 062012_1 062112_0 062112_1 062212_0 062212_1 062212_2 062312_0 062512_0 062612_0 062612_1 062612_2 062612_3 062712_0 062712_1 062812_0 062812_1 063012_0 070112_0 070212_0 070212_1 070312_0 070312_1 070312_2 070412_0 070412_1 070412_2 070512_0 070512_1 070512_2 070512_3 070512_4 070612_0 070612_1 070612_2 070612_3 070612_4 070712_0 070712_1 070712_2 070712_3 070812_0 070812_1 070812_2 070812_3 070912_0 070912_1 070912_2 070912_3 070912_4 071012_0 071112_0 071112_1 071112_2 071112_3 071212_0 071212_1 071312_0 071312_1 071412_0 071412_1 071412_2 071512_0 071512_1 071512_2 071512_3 071612_0 071612_1 071612_2 071712_0 071712_1 071812_0 071812_1 071812_2 071912_0 071912_1 072012_0 072012_1 072012_2 072012_3 072112_0 072112_1 072212_0 072312_0 072412_0 072412_1 072612_0 072612_1 072612_2 072612_3 072712_0 072712_1 072812_0 072912_0 073012_0 073012_1 073012_2 073012_3 073112_0 080112_0 080112_1 080112_2 080212_0 080312_0 080312_1 080312_2 080412_0 080412_1 080612_0 080712_0 080712_1 080712_2 080712_3 080812_0 080812_1 080812_2 080912_0 080912_1 081012_0 081012_1 081012_2 081112_0 081112_1 081112_2 081112_3 081212_0 081212_1 081212_2 081212_3 081312_0 081512_0 081612_0 081712_0 081712_1 081812_0 081812_1 081812_2 081912_0 081912_1 081912_2 081912_3 081912_4 082012_0 082012_1 082012_2 082112_0 082112_1 082212_0 082212_1 082212_2 082212_3 082312_0 082312_1 082312_2 082512_0 082612_0 082612_1 082712_0 082812_0 082912_0 082912_1 082912_2 083012_0 083112_0 083112_1 083112_2 083112_3 090312_0 090412_0 090412_1 090512_0 090512_1 090512_2 090612_0 090612_1 090712_0 090712_1 090812_0 090812_1 090812_2 090912_0 090912_1 091012_0 091112_0 091112_1 091212_0 091212_1 091212_2 091312_0 091412_0 091512_0 091512_1 091612_0 091612_1 091712_0 091812_0 091812_1 091912_0 092012_0 092212_0 092212_1 092312_0 092312_1 092412_0 092412_1 092412_2 092412_3 092512_0 092612_0 092612_1 092612_2 092912_0 093012_0 093012_1 093012_2 100112_0 100212_0 100312_0 100312_1 100412_0 100412_1 100512_0 100612_0 100712_0 100712_1 100812_0 100912_0 101012_0 101112_0 101612_0 101712_0 101712_1 101912_0 101912_1 101912_2 102212_0 102312_0 102312_1 102412_0 102512_0 102612_0 102712_0 102812_0 102812_1 102912_0 103112_0 110112_0 110112_1 110212_0 110312_0 110412_0 110512_0 110512_1 110712_0 110912_0 111012_0 111012_1 111012_2 111412_0 111812_0 111812_1 111912_0 111912_1 112212_0 112712_0 112712_1 112812_0 112812_1 120412_0 120612_0 120812_0 120912_0 121012_0 121312_0 121412_0 121412_1 121712_0 122212_0 122212_1 122212_2 122312_0 122412_0 122512_0 122512_1 122612_0 122712_0 122812_0

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. AGS-2337380. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.



DISCLAIMER: The images and data on this site are intended for meteorological education and research purposes and, although they should generally be up to date, are not monitored at all times. Do not use for making decisions where money or lives are at stake. For official forecasts and warnings, visit the National Weather Service.