NOAA Atlas 15: National Precipitation Frequency Atlas

This newly released, authoritative, and spatially continuous National Precipitation Frequency Atlas of the United States was developed by the NOAA National Weather Service Office of Water Prediction. As with previous Precipitation Frequency Atlases, NOAA Atlas 15 will provide spatially independent estimates of expected precipitation depth (or intensity) for a specified storm duration (e.g., 6 hours), at a particular location of interest (e.g., Bridgeport, Connecticut).

As the U.S. experiences more intense rainfall, frequent flooding, and prolonged droughts, this tool can help ensure practitioners are equipped with the precipitation information they need to make the country’s water resources and infrastructure more resilient to changes in rainfall patterns. This dataset and mapper can help address user needs regarding water quality, flood risk, and infrastructure design.