CHIRPS v3.0 Background

Supported by funding from USAID, NASA, and NOAA the new CHIRPS v3.0 presents an upgrade to CHIRPS v2.0.

Updates to CHPclim

CHIRPS v3.0 uses a more reliable, high-resolution climatology, CHPclim2, which builds upon the foundation of CHPclim. CHPclim2 incorporates IMERG inputs for enhanced precipitation estimates, and undercatch gauge corrected station data to account for systematic biases resulting in an increased mean rainfall.

Updates to CHIRP

While many studies have shown that CHIRPS v2.0 performs well, we have identified and addressed an important shortcoming in CHIRP, the satellite-estimated component of CHIRPS. The regression formula used in CHIRP version 2.0 provided reasonable estimates and represented mean rainfall very well, however, it had a tendency to underestimate temporal precipitation variance. 

The new CHIRP3 algorithm also estimates precipitation from geostationary satellite thermal infrared measurements of cold cloud duration (CCD), but version 3.0 performs better when it comes to estimating a wider range of precipitation values. This feature is especially useful for capturing high rainfall amounts of large, impactful, or out-of-season storms.

CHIRP algorithm basics:

More station observations

CHIRPS v3.0 benefits from nearly four times more sources of gauge data compared to CHIRPS v2.0. This increased volume of observations significantly improves the spatial and temporal accuracy of rainfall estimates.

              Monthly station counts for CHIRPS v2.0, CHIRPS v3.0, and GPCC v2022 in thousands.