💎 WHAT IS THE RAIN GAUGE AND WHAT IS IT FOR ?

What is the Rain Gauge?

The rain gauge is a device used to measure the levels of precipitation, which descend in a certain region and time, generating valuable information that contributes to both the meteorology and the climatology of a place. The rain gauge acquires everything related to precipitation.

What is the Rain Gauge Used for ?

The rain gauge is a device that allows calculating the volume of water that falls on the earth’s surface in the form of snow, rain, hail, drizzle and / or sleet in a given space and time. Its design and operation make it possible to determine how many millimeters of rain have fallen.

Types of Rain Gauges

There are many types of rain gauges, from homemade containers made from plastic containers to modern and sophisticated digital ones.

Standard Rain Gauge

Its design was invented more than a century ago. It is the most commonly used in airports and official meteorological centers.

Rain Gauge with Discharge Tube

It is a device that allows determining the volume of water discharged in the form of rain, and that falls during a certain period of time, without the need for any external factor (controller) present during the collection of the liquid. In other words, it allows the collection of water for long periods.

Scale Rain Gauge

This model consists of a container located on a scale that adjusts to the container and, through a system of hinges located in the upper part, adjusts and levels the level of water that falls during the rains. Its effect is similar to that of a seesaw, it goes up and down.

Analog Rain Gauges

Analogs are the simplest construction devices. They are shaped like a cylinder or cone, directly collecting and storing the water inside. It is distinguished by its collection capacity and its design according to the material of manufacture.

Digitalizing Rain Gauges

They are the newest and most advanced versions of rain gauges. They measure the total precipitation of rain, as well as its intensity of fall. Data it collects is displayed on a screen, and transmitted through external computerized devices. Said data collection and transmission process is achieved through technological systems that produce precision and reliability in the results obtained.

Totalizers

This model of rain gauge is among the most accurate. They collect the rainwater that falls through a funnel. That funnel recirculates the water into a container that is graduated, with scales.

They tend to be placed at a certain height from the ground and the volume of falling water is recorded every twelve hours. The only drawback or limitation of this rain gauge is that it does not allow to determine the time at which the rainfall occurred.

Parts of a Rain Gauge

Being an instrument of simple design, its parts are usually few and quite precise. First of all, a rain gauge consists of a water inlet, or mouth, which corresponds to the upper opening (nozzle) through which the liquid enters.

Then there is the water collecting funnel, which is the tube through which everything collected descends. Finally, you have the collecting tank, which is usually graduated to allow visual measurement.

The parts of a rain gauge do not change, although there is a great variety of them, their structure is usually the same.

How Does the Rain Gauge Work ?

Basic rain gauges have a small opening through which the rain falls, accumulating at the bottom, then being channeled -through a funnel- to a container marked with a scale of numbers. Something similar to the injection system measurement system.

After the rain, by observing to what level the liquid reached, it is possible to determine the amount of water that fell from the moment it was placed until its collection. For its correct operation there are a series of steps that must be followed.

The first of them is to place the instrument in a high place that, when the rain falls, is not affected to achieve the measurement. Then, the liquid container will receive the water following an exponential behavior, and at the end of the marking it will indicate the volume that fell.

What Does the Rain Gauge Measure ? Unit of measurement

Rain gauges measure the volume of rainfall, or a strong storm, over a period of time. At the time of collection, it is taken as a premise that no evaporation has occurred during the period that the rain fell, otherwise the process would fail.

It should also be taken into account that neither home-made measuring devices, industrially manufactured ones, nor digitalized novelties, can give a 100% exact balance of the volume of dropped water; They are rough estimates.

The volume of water collected in a rain gauge during a rain episode can be expressed in liters or millimeters per square meter.