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Full catalog/TRMM_3A26
TRMM_3A26·v7·dataset

Monthly rainfall patterns from radar (TRMM, 5 deg)

TRMM Radar Rain Distributions L3 1 month 5 degree x 5 degree V7 (TRMM_3A26) at GES DISC
atmosphere NASA GES_DISC Level 3
In plain English

What it measures. Monthly pictures of how rain was distributed across the tropics, including how often it rained, the typical and extreme rain rates, and how those rates varied at different heights in the atmosphere. Each value covers a large 5-by-5-degree square.

How it's made. Derived from rain measurements made by the radar aboard the TRMM satellite, processed into monthly statistical summaries using several different rain-estimation methods.

How & where you'd use it. Helps scientists understand tropical rainfall patterns and storm behavior. Note a newer version exists in a GPM-compatible format under the name GPM_3PR.

What's measured

ATMOSPHERE › PRECIPITATION › PRECIPITATION RATE

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span1997-12-01 → 2015-04-01
  • Measured byTRMM (PR)
  • Processing levelLevel 3
  • Spatial extent-180, -40, 180, 40
  • 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 new version of these data is in GPM-like format (consistent with the GPM Dual-frequency Radar data format), and can be found under the name GPM_3PR. This dataset contains distributions of monthly surface rainfall. These data were derived from rain rate statistics and include the estimated values of the probability distribution function of the space-time rain rates at four levels (2 km, 4 km, 6 km, and path-averaged) and the mean, standard deviation, and probability of rain derived from these distributions. Three different rain rate estimates are used as input to the algorithm: (1) the standard Z-R (or 0th-order estimate having no attenuation correction); (2) the Hitschfield-Bordan (H-B); and (3) the rain rates taken from 2A25.

Get the data

trmm_3a26_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="TRMM_3A26",
    version="7",
    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.