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Abstract This study compares historical precipitation records of the Kentucky Mesonet (KYMN) to those of geographically close (i.e., paired) Cooperative Observer Program (COOP) and Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) stations for the period 2011–2020. Basic statistics were used to quantify network differences. The comparison revealed systematic differences in precipitation between networks. The COOP standard rain gauge (SRG), ASOS heated tipping bucket (HTB), and ASOS All Weather Precipitation Accumulation Gauge (AWPAG) measurements overestimated precipitation by up to 20% relative to KYMN’s weighing bucket models from Vaisala (VRG) and OTT (Pluvio 2 ) during lighter precipitation days (< 18 mm). Conversely, during heavier rainfall days (≥ 18 mm), KYMN’s weighing buckets recorded up to 10% higher values than either COOP or ASOS. As expected, as the distance between paired stations increased, variance tended to increase while correlation decreased. Network differences were statistically significant for the daily KYMN–COOP pairs but not for the KYMN–ASOS pairs. Monthly mean differences ranged up to 6%. No significant impacts from wind speed or temperature were found to impact network differences. Significant differences were found in how each network records trace values. This comparison offers valuable insight into gauge behavior and network data quality when measuring precipitation and potential biases when computing long-term climatologies.