This paper examines the correlation structure of inter-decadal precipitation variability across the UK by using a scaling analysis technique. The level of persistence displayed by the observations between different types of precipitation is remarkably constant. Comparison with synthetic long-memory time series suggests that the behavior of the observed precipitation is consistent with a scaling process. The Hadley Center HadCM2 model captures some of the observed behavior, but underestimates the degree of persistence in all precipitation intensities. The scaling analysis method is a useful diagnostic to test for climate model variability. ¿ 2001 American Geophysical Union