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Full catalog/PRECIP_TMI_TRMM
PRECIP_TMI_TRMM·v1·dataset

How much it rained, microwave estimate (TRMM)

NASA MEASURES Precipitation Ensemble based on TMI TRMM NASA PPS L1C V05 Tbs 1-orbit L2 Swath 5x5km V1 (PRECIP_TMI_TRMM) at GES DISC
atmosphere NASA GES_DISC Level 2
In plain English

What it measures. How hard it was raining, in millimeters per hour, across the tropics, calculated from how the surface and atmosphere looked to a microwave sensor.

How it's made. Estimated from microwave readings (brightness temperatures) collected by the TMI instrument on the TRMM satellite, one file per orbit, using established rainfall algorithms.

How & where you'd use it. Supports studies of tropical rainfall and storms, and contributes to long-term records of how much it rained between 1997 and 2015.

What's measured

ATMOSPHERE › PRECIPITATION › PRECIPITATION RATE

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span1997-12-07 → 2015-04-08
  • Measured byTRMM (TMI)
  • Processing levelLevel 2
  • Spatial extent-180, -90, 180, 90
  • StatusCOMPLETE

What you can do with it

  • Map air pollutants — NO₂, aerosols, ozone
  • Track greenhouse gases and Earth's energy budget
  • Feed weather and air-quality analysis
Official description

The data presented in this level 2 orbital product are rain rate estimates expressed as mm/hour determined from brightness temperatures (Tbs) obtained from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager (TMI) flown on the TRMM satellite. Most of the products generated in this data set are based upon the algorithms developed for the 3rd Algorithm Intercomparison Project (AIP-3) of the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP). Details of these 15 algorithms and development of a quality score which is a measure of confidence in the estimate, along with processing and algorithmic flags, can be found in the Algorithm Theoretical Basis Document (ATBD). The data in this product cover the period from 1997 to 2015 with one file per orbit.

Get the data

precip_tmi_trmm_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="PRECIP_TMI_TRMM",
    version="1",
    bounding_box=(-122.5, 37.2, -121.8, 37.9),  # your area (W,S,E,N)
    temporal=("2024-01-01", "2024-12-31"),       # your dates
)
files = earthaccess.open(results)   # stream straight from GES_DISC
Browsing CMR needs no login. Downloading or streaming bytes needs a free Earthdata Login + the earthaccess package.