CMORPH IFloodS: Satellite Precipitation Analysis for Iowa Flood Studies

Eastern Iowa precipitation data from the 2013 Iowa Flood Studies (IFloodS) field campaign. The dataset contains global precipitation analyses produced by the NOAA Climate Prediction Center using the CMORPH technique, which blends low-orbit satellite microwave observations. It includes both near real-time raw data and bias-corrected data for validation against ground instruments and weather radars.

Use Cases

• Validating satellite-derived precipitation rates against ground-based radar and instrument measurements.
• Analyzing precipitation anomalies and rates during a specific flood study campaign.
• Comparing near real-time raw data with bias-corrected data to assess algorithm performance.
• Studying the spatial and temporal distribution of liquid precipitation in a midwestern U.S. region.

Strengths

• Data is associated with a focused, time-bound ground validation campaign (IFloodS, April-June 2013).
• Includes both raw and bias-corrected data versions, allowing for direct comparison and error assessment.
• Produced using a specific, documented technique (NOAA CPC CMORPH) for high-resolution global precipitation analysis.

Limitations

• Key metadata such as row count, file size, and specific column names are not provided across any source.
• There is a conflict in the reported last updated date: one source lists 2013-06-30, while others list 2026-04-10, raising questions about data maintenance.

Provenance

Source

NOAA Climate Prediction Center (CPC), collected for NASA's GPM Ground Validation program.

Collection Method

Satellite microwave observations processed using the CPC Morphing Technique (CMORPH), validated by ground instruments and radars during the IFloodS campaign.

Time Range

April 1, 2013 to June 30, 2013

Freshness

2026-04-10 02:56:23.589243

Geography

Global analyses, with selected data for the Iowa Flood Studies campaign in eastern Iowa.