Title: PRISM Climate Rasters - Average Monthly/Yearly Precipitation and Annual Minimum and Maximum Temperature by State

Originator: USDA - NRCS

Abstract:

These layers are file geodatabases, by State, that contain rasters of average monthly and yearly precipitation in inches for the climatological period 1961-1990, 1971-2000 and 1981-2010. The file geodatabases also contain raster average minimum and average maximum temperature in degrees Fahrenheit for the climatological period 1971-2000 and 1981-2010. The layers were created from the Parameter-elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM).

PRISM is an analytical model that uses point data and a digital elevation model (DEM) to generate gridded estimates of annual, monthly and event-based climatic parameters. There are many methods of interpolating parameters such as precipitation and temperature from monitoring stations to grid points. Some provide estimates of acceptable accuracy in flat terrain, but few have been able to adequately explain the extreme, complex variations in precipitation and temperature that occur in mountainous regions. Significant progress in this area has been achieved through the development of PRISM, which is well suited to regions with mountainous terrain, because it incorporates a conceptual framework that addresses the spatial scale and pattern of orographic processes.

For further information, the online PRISM homepage can be found at http://www.prism.oregonstate.edu

Format: File Geodatabase Rasters. Cell size ~800m for 1971-2000 and 1981-2010; Cell size ~4km for 1961-1990

Spatial Reference Information: Decimal Degrees, North American Datum 1983

Sample Precipitation Raster map    Sample Temperature Raster map