The rainfall frequency atlases and technical papers published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Weather Service (NWS) serve as national standards for rainfall intensity at specified frequencies and durations in the United States. The current standards were published between 1961 and 1973. The NWS is updating the standards for the semiarid southwest, the Ohio River basin and surrounding states, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The Hydrometeorological Design Studies Center located within the NWS Office of Hydrologic Development is responsible for the updates and its work is funded by contributions from other Federal, State and local agencies. This paper provides an overview of the technology and data improvements used in the updates including: use of significantly longer data records than were available in the 1960/70s and emphasizing data quality control and consistency, use of a regional L-moments analysis technique, a spatial interpolation-based mapping procedure using a statistical-geographic approach, and web-based delivery of the final product.