NWS offers a peek at the rain

The National Weather Service is providing high-quality precipitation analysis on a new Web site on a trial basis until next June.

NWS, which is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is requesting feedback on the service to determine whether the site meets users’ needs and whether it should continue beyond June.

The site provides analysis that combines high-resolution data from 150 Doppler radar devices and measurements from more than 4,000 rain gauges, according to a NOAA press release. Data resolution is about 2.2 miles, and the analysis is updated daily for the 48 contiguous states and Puerto Rico.

Users can view graphics of the precipitation totals for the previous day, the past seven days, the past 14 days, the current month to date and the current year to date.

The data could help government agencies, river authorities, agricultural businesses, hydroelectric power companies and others make better decisions about water management, according to the release. It could also help emergency management officials monitor changes in water levels to improve their response to floods.

“Water resource managers can use this information to optimize water allocation to meet competing municipal, industrial and environmental demands,” said Thomas Graziano, chief of NWS’ Hydrologic Services Program, in the release. “The emergency management community and the public at large can more effectively anticipate and respond to flood situations.”