Accumulated Precipitation | Mean Accumulated Precipitation over the Last 10 Years | Precipitation Type | Precipitation Probability | Hail | Freezing Rain | Supercooled Liquid Water | Rainfall | Snowfall | Sleet

Precipitation API Parameters

Accumulated Precipitation

Gives the amount of precipitation in millimeters that has fallen during the indicated interval. Here, precipitation is the sum of liquid (rain, freezing rain), mix (sleet), and solid (hail, graupel, snow) precipitation.

precip_<interval>:mm

Available accumulation intervals: 5min, 10min, 15min, 30min, 1h, 3h, 6h, 12h, 24h

Note: Precipitation interval parameters are right-aligned see Appendix

Examples

Mean Accumulated Precipitation over the Last 10 Years

Gives the mean amount of precipitation over the last 10 years on a certain date at a specific location.

precip_<interval>_10y_mean:mm

Available intervals: 1h, 2h, 3h, 6h, 12h, 24h

Examples:

Precipitation Type

You can query an integer indicating the precipitation type with the parameter

precip_type:idx

The values correspond to the type as given in the following table:

IndexPrecipitation Type
0None
1Rain
2Rain and snow mixed
3Snow
4Sleet
5Freezing rain
6Hail

It is based on the precipitation during the last 5 minutes, where very small amounts are ignored. For hail please refer to the dedicated section below.

Examples

For visualization purposes you may query an image for the parameter

precip_type_intensity_5min:idx

together with the colormap png_precip_type_segmented (the use of other colormaps is highly discouraged). It combines the precipitation type above with the water equivalent of precipitation fallen during the last 5 minutes.

For the interpretation of the image please refer to the following legend graphic:

Bildschirmfoto 2021 12 15 um 18 06 01

Example

  • Areas of rain and snow across Europe in February, 2021:

    Precip type intensity metx

Precipitation Probability

prob_precip_<interval>:p

Available intervals: 1h, 3h, 6h, 12h, 24h

Note: Please note that since this parameter is based on multiple models, it does not fulfill all mathematical requirements of a probability.

Note: Precipitation interval parameters are right-aligned see Appendix

Examples

Hail

The API features a hail parameter which gives the maximum hailstone diameter for a time period.

hail_<interval>:cm

Available intervals: 10min, 20min, 30min, 1h, 3h, 6h, 12h, 24h

Examples

Freezing Rain

Freezing rain occurs when raindrops freeze on contact with the surface. This leads to a coating of ice on everything that the raindrops contact. Thus, freezing rain can be dangerous e.g. for motorists as the ice can create slick spots on roadways. Furthermore, the ice formed by freezing rain can cause tree branches and power lines to break leading to damage and/or power outages.

freezing_rain_1h:idx

The parameter goes from 0 (no freezing rain) to 1 (freezing rain).

Example

Supercooled Liquid Water

Supercooled liquid water refers to water droplets that remain liquid below their normal freezing point. While this parameter describes the vertically integrated supercooled liquid water content, our API also offers bottom/top altitudes (in meters) where supercooled liquid water is present. If no supercooled liquid water is present, bottom/top altitudes are not defined.

super_cooled_liquid_water:kgm2 
super_cooled_liquid_water_layer_bottom:m 
super_cooled_liquid_water_layer_top:m

Examples

Rainfall

Check if there was any rain within the last 30 minutes or last hour. 0: no rain, 1: rain event

is_rain_<interval>:idx

Available intervals: 30min, 1h

Examples

Snowfall

Check if there was any snowfall within the last hour or last 30 minutes. 0: no snowfall, 1: snowfall event

is_snow_<interval>:idx

Available intervals: 30min, 1h

Example

Sleet

Check if there was any sleet within the last hour or last 30 minutes. 0: no sleet, 1: sleet event

is_sleet_<interval>:idx

Available intervals: 30min, 1h

Example