A 1-km Climatology of Subhourly Rain Rates for the Contiguous United States from NOAAs NEXRAD Reanalysis

Using NOAA’s NEXRAD reanalysis, a climatology of subhourly rain rates is presented on the 1-km scale. Currently spanning the period 2001-2011, this radar-based climatology allows for spatial and temporal analyses on scales previously inaccessible due to limitations in data availability. The lower 48 United States are covered by over 25 million pixels, with a rain rate reported every five minutes. The sensitivity of radar allows for the detection of rain much lighter than can be discerned by current in-situ networks, and fills important spatial gaps where gauges are not presently installed.

Selected subsets of the climatology are highlighted to illustrate its versatility, including breakdowns by time of day, season, and geographic region. A basic comparison is performed against the US Climate Reference Network, one of the few networks that also provides subhourly precipitation data.