Precipitation Network Data
The Imperial Valley Precipitation Network is a 20-site weighing-bucket rain gauge array operated by the Illinois State Water Survey for the Imperial Valley Water Authority since 1992. The network is located in Mason and Tazewell Counties in Illinois within the most heavily irrigated region of the state. Soils in this location are thick sand-and-gravel deposits associated with the confluence of two major ancient river valleys, the Mississippi and the Mahomet-Teays. The precipitation data help to determine the rate of groundwater draw-down in dry periods and during the growing season, and the rate at which the aquifer recharges. Raingage maintenance and downloading of data occur during monthly site visits.
The Cook County Precipitation Network is a 25-site weighing-bucket rain gauge array operated by the Illinois State Water Survey for the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers since 1989. The network is located in the Lake Michigan and Des Plaines River watersheds of Cook County to provide accurate precipitation measurements for modeling storm runoff, a crucial parameter used to compute the amount of water diverted from Lake Michigan. Raingage maintenance and downloading of data occur during monthly site visits.
About the Data:All data are daily precipitation data, collected for the 24-hour period midnight to midnight on the given day. For example, the reading on 1/1/2005 is valid at 11:59 p.m. of that day.