Rainfall Map: 7-Day Cumulative Precipitation & Rain Leaders

The Global Rainfall Map tracks forecast precipitation accumulation over 24-hour and 7-day horizons to highlight emerging flood threats and drought conditions.

Understanding Rainfall Accumulation Metrics

Precipitation is expressed in millimetres (mm), where 1 mm represents 1 litre of water spread over 1 square metre of flat ground. Key interpretive benchmarks include:

• Light Rain (0–10 mm / 24h): Beneficial for agriculture; easily absorbed by unsaturated soils with negligible flood hazard.
• Moderate Rain (10–35 mm / 24h): Steady soaking rain; manageable in well-drained basins, but may cause pooling in poor urban drainage systems.
• Heavy Rain (35–75 mm / 24h): Elevated risk of surface runoff, swollen creeks, and local flash flooding if soils are moist.
• Torrential Rain (>75 mm / 24h): Severe flood and landslide threat; capable of rapid river crests and urban inundation.

Current Global 7-Day Rainfall Leaders

Review the cities with the highest cumulative 7-day forecast rainfall across our monitoring network:

Rainfall and the Flood Equation

Rainfall alone does not dictate flood severity. To evaluate true hazard, precipitation must be cross-referenced with soil moisture saturation and downstream river channel capacity. Explore our Flood Risk Map and transparent Methodology.