Unified Precipitation (UP): Precipitation Monitoring

Tomorrow.io’s Unified Precipitation (UP) provides near real-time precipitation information by combining multiple data sources to provide consistent coverage across regions.

This article explains how to view Unified Precipitation and the additional capabilities available with NextGen™.

Unified Precipitation (UP)

Our Unified Precipitation (UP) product blends high-quality radar (Level 3) and satellite-based estimates for reliable, real-time precipitation insights.

Key Features:

• Global Coverage: Fills gaps where ground radar is unavailable using satellite data.
• Accuracy: Combines the best available radar and satellite data with quality controls.
• Timely Updates: Refreshes every 30 seconds to deliver near real-time accuracy.

Visualizing UP on the Tomorrow.io Platform

1. Navigate to the “Trends” sub-tab.
2. Enable the “Precip. Intensity” toggle to view the layer on the map.
   • Precipitation intensity is visualized through varying color gradients.

More details about this layer are available in our related support article.

Recommended Use:
Unified Precipitation is ideal for most users thanks to its consistent accuracy and global reach.

NextGen™ Unified Precipitation: Advanced Capabilities

For NextGen™ customers, Unified Precipitation prioritizes data from Tomorrow.io Microwave Sounders (TMS) to improve heavy precipitation detection and increase resilience to sensor outages.

Key benefits include:

• Improved Accuracy: Improved detection of heavy precipitation, with validation showing skill improvements of up to approximately 50% for precipitation rates exceeding 25 mm/hr. Light-precipitation detection remains in line with the previous operational baseline.
• Improved Resilience: Uses data from the TMS constellation first, reducing dependence on a single data source and helping maintain coverage when an individual satellite or sensor is missing data.
• Expanded Coverage: Provides precipitation information in regions where traditional radar coverage is limited or unavailable.
• High Resolution: 5 km or less spatial resolution for more localized precipitation information.
• Frequent Updates: Data is refreshed every 5 minutes.

These capabilities are available to NextGen™ customers. For access, contact your Account Team.

Need Help?

For any questions about Unified Precipitation please contact us at support@tomorrow.io or reach out to your Account Team.