Water is a fundamental component of the Earth’s energy and water cycle, helping to redistribute energy across the Earth’s surface and atmosphere through the processes of evaporation, condensation and deposition (precipitation). Precipitation ultimately provides fresh, potable water that is essential to life on Earth—the only planet we know of that has abundant, usable water. Our social and economic well-being is moulded by where, when and how much precipitation occurs. On a practical level managing water within our environment is essential since too much or too little can be disastrous requiring the mitigation of droughts or floods through civil defence. Furthermore water, especially precipitation is increasingly important politically since water resources transcends national boundaries and has significant economic value for agriculture through agrobusinesses such as crop forecasting. Precipitation also impacts our health through the removal of particulate matter from the atmosphere. The monitoring and measurement of precipitation is therefore essential, not only to our understanding and knowledge of the Earth System, but also economically and socially.