Progress in precipitation prediction is much slower than the prediction of other quantities (e.g., temperature) in the past two decades, and hence NOAA developed and launched the precipitation…

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded the University of Arizona $202,238 on June 1, 2026, under the Broad Agency Announcement (CFDA 11.015) to evaluate satellite, reanalysis, and model precipitation data using field campaign data across different climate regimes. The work directly supports NOAA's Precipitation Prediction Grand Challenge initiative, which addresses slower progress in precipitation prediction compared to other meteorological quantities. The recipient will assess the strengths and weaknesses of satellite and reanalysis precipitation products over distinct climate zones to inform their use in evaluating global precipitation prediction models.

Performance occurs in Tucson, Arizona, with work concluding on May 31, 2027. The University of Arizona, operating as the Arizona Board of Regents, is the ultimate recipient of this project grant.

Progress in precipitation prediction is much slower than the prediction of other quantities (e.g., temperature) in the past two decades, and hence NOAA developed and launched the precipitation prediction grand challenge (ppgc) initiative. Satellite precipitation, ground-based gridded precipitation, and reanalysis have been widely used for model evaluation and improvement. The objective of this project is to use past and current field campaign data over different climate regimes to evaluate satellite, reanalysis, and model precipitation. The insights on the strengths and weaknesses of satellite and reanalysis products over different climate regimes will also inform their use in evaluating global precipitation prediction.