The Climate Hazards Center has announced that the production of CHIRPS2 will end after December 2026. Users are advised that no new CHIRPS2 updates will be generated beyond this date. Existing CHIRPS2 datasets will remain available for download.

Users should begin transitioning workflows to CHIRPS3, to ensure continuity of operations.

More information about CHIRPS3 can be found at https://chc.ucsb.edu/data/chirps3

The CHC is pleased to announce that CHIRPS3 is now available on Google Earth Engine. The dataset is accessible in both pentadal and daily timescales for use in various applications.

For more information about Google Earth Engine and access to CHIRPS3 and select CHC datasets, visit: https://earthengine.google.com/

The Climate Hazards Center in collaboration with the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), and 20+ science partners has built the world's largest harmonized subnational crop statistics dataset.

HarvestStat contains over 574,000 agricultural records across 33 countries providing detailed statistics on crop production, harvested area, and crop yields at the provincial, district, county, and local government levels. This initiative is helping to bridge agricultural data gaps across Sub-Saharan Africa, and plans to expand its efforts to the Middle East and Asia. Read more

Dr. Chris Funk, CHC Research Director, worked with researchers at the University of California Santa Barbara to evaluate the effect of prenatal exposure to extremely hot, humid conditions on the health of children in South Asia. The study, published in Science Advances, used a set of high resolution datasets, including CHIRTS maximum temperature and maximum wet bulb globe temperature, and found that exposure to hot, humid conditions in-utero is dangerous for child health, and more dangerous than just hot temperatures alone. Read more

Interannual rainfall variability poses significant challenges in East Africa, shaping agricultural outcomes and food security each year. In a new study, researchers at the Climate Hazards Center and the University of Florida evaluated long-term changes in intraseasonal rainfall patterns using CHIRPS dataset.

The study, published in the Journal of Hydrometeorology, found that the critical March-to-May long rains in bimodal regions has shortened by up to a month and become drier with fewer rainy days. This study highlights emerging risks to rainfed agriculture and the importance of climate-informed adaptation strategies. Read more

The Climate Hazards Center is working closely with the Kenya Meteorological Department, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, the University Corporation of Atmospheric Research (UCAR), and Rhiza Research to strengthen rainfall monitoring and sub-seasonal forecasting in Kenya.

This new initiative leverages the power of AI-driven forecasting tools, dynamical models, high-resolution datasets such as CHIRPS, and an expanding weather observation network supported by 3D-printed automatic weather stations to improve monthly and subseasonal forecasts. As the March-to-May long rains begin, these efforts will enhance early warning and decision-making. Access the latest report here

The CHC continues to work with key partners to monitor agroclimatic conditions in the world’s most food insecure regions, to support food security early warning and decision making. See the latest reports below:

• Contributions to the FEWS NET’s Seasonal Monitor Reports

• Contributions to the GEOGLAM Crop Monitor for Early Warning

• Afghanistan Provisional Agroclimatology Reports