Nicaragua: Subnational Dekadal Rainfall Indicators and Forecasts

Nicaragua subnational rainfall indicators provided by the World Food Programme (WFP) based on CHIRPS satellite imagery and CHIRPS-GEFS forecasts. The data is aggregated by administrative units using WFP Pcodes and updated on a dekadal (10-day) cycle. It includes historical averages, rolling aggregations, and percentage anomalies.

Use Cases

• Drought monitoring by analyzing the 3-month rainfall anomaly (r3q) across different administrative units
• Agricultural planning using the 10-day rainfall forecast (rfh where type is forecast) to predict planting windows
• Climate trend analysis by comparing current 1-month rolling aggregations (r1h) against long-term averages (r1h_avg)

Strengths

• Uses CHIRPS v2 which integrates satellite imagery with in-situ station data
• Includes standardized WFP Pcode references for administrative units
• Provides pixel counts (n_pixels) to indicate the data density for each aggregate

Limitations

• Data status transitions from forecast to final, requiring users to manage versioning
• Satellite-derived precipitation estimates may vary from local rain gauge measurements

Provenance

Source

World Food Programme (WFP) via CHIRPS and CHIRPS-GEFS

Collection Method

Satellite imagery and in-situ station data aggregation

Freshness

Updated on a dekadal cycle (1st, 6th, 11th, 16th, 21st, and 26th of each month)

Geography

Nicaragua