Three papers in this special issue—Ishii et al. (2024), Kanno et al. (2025), and Takahashi and Sakazaki (2025)—have been selected as JMSJ Highlights, reflecting both the timeliness of the contributions and the broad interest in the topics addressed. Together, these studies underscore a shared perspective that is increasingly emphasized in precipitation and climate research worldwide: improving forecasts and disaster prevention for heavy rain and heavy snow requires robust observational and data foundations, particularly in regions where in situ observations remain sparse.

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