Heavy Precipitation Days

About this Topic:

As climate change continues to impact our world, extreme weather events are becoming increasingly common. Heavy precipitation events, whether in the form of rain or snow, can cause various challenges such as flooding and property damage. In urban areas, heavy rainfall can overwhelm storm drains and cause flash flooding, while in rural areas, it can drown crops, erode topsoil, and damage roads. Understanding the frequency and severity of heavy precipitation days (HPD) is crucial for developing strategies to adapt to and prevent the effects of these events

A Heavy Precipitation Day (HPD) is defined as a day on which at least 10 mm (or 20 mm) of rain or frozen precipitation falls, with frozen precipitation measured by its liquid equivalent.

Where is the data coming from?:

Here you can find a collection of all datasets used in the projects below. Click on each title to view the information for yourself, or download project-specific spreadsheets from each individual project

Create your own Data Visualization Project!

We’ve simplified the data above to make it more easy to understand! This simplified data is used to make the MakeCode for the sample projects below. You can use this simplified data to create your own projects too!

Simplified Data on Heavy Precipitation

Science Spotlight Education Reference:

Want to learn more about this topic? Check out some Science Spotlight Research papers written by Canadian Science Centres and Museums in collaboration with the GenAction Initiative!

Data Visualization Projects

NEOPIXEL GRID

Heavy Precipitation Days

Project Description:

This project will allow students to show the amount of heavy precipitation days in their province or across Canada. This data is available over three different time periods: The Recent Past (1980 — 2000), the Immediate Future (2030 – 2050), and the Near Future (2060 – 2080), giving students the opportunity to observe trends over time. For the future time periods, the data is also available to be viewed as either a high carbon or low carbon scenario which allows them to see how human intervention could affect those future predictions.. A high carbon scenario is where emissions continue to rise throughout the twenty-first century, and a low carbon scenario is where we have met our goals set by climate policies like the Paris Accord.

This project utilises the 8×8 Neopixel grid to display this data, giving student a colourful way to show the amount of rainy days.

START BUILDING! Heavy Precipitation Days Instructions

Legend

The lights on the Neopixel indicate the amount of Heavy Precipitation Days predicted. Use the available legend bar on your project to mark out what these colours mean:

Red – very low amount of heavy rainy days
Orange – low
Green – moderate
Blue – high amount of heavy rainy days

Button A

This will change the time period

The Recent Past (1980-2005)
The Immediate Future ( 2030-2050)
The Near Future (2060-2080)

Button B

This will change the decade within the chosen time period

The Recent Past (1980,1990,2000)
The Immediate Future (2030,2040,2050)
The Near Future (2060,2070,2080)

Button A+B

will change the carbon scenario (can only be changed when in either the Immediate Future or Near Future time period) between viewing data in a High Carbon and Low Carbon scenario

Make Code:

Electronic Kit: https://steamlabs.ca/data-visualization/free-kits/#activity

Neopixel Grid Setup:

Hardware Setup Support: https://steamlabs.ca/data-visualization/hardware/#activity

SERVO MOTOR PROJECT

Heavy Precipitation Days

Project Description:

This project will allow students to show the predicted average of annual precipitation in their province or across Canada. This data is available over three different time periods: The Recent Past (1980 — 2000), the Immediate Future (2030 – 2050), and the Near Future (2060 – 2080), giving student the opportunity to observe trends over time. For the future time periods, the data is also available to be viewed as either a high carbon or low carbon scenario which allows them to see how human intervention could affect those future predictions.. A high carbon scenario is where emissions continue to rise throughout the twenty-first century, and a low carbon scenario is where we have met our goals set by climate policies like the Paris Accord.

This activity uses a servo motor to represent the average annual amount of precipitation, on a scale of low to very high. Students can use the buttons on their micro:but to scroll through the different time periods to see just

START BUILDING! Heavy Precipitation Days Instructions