How to Make a Rain Gauge Instrument

If you enjoy tracking the weather, or are trying to determine whether the rainfall in your area is sufficient to keep your petunias from being parched, you might appreciate having a rain gauge. This instrument allows you to measure, at a glance, how many inches of rain have fallen into your yard. There are many elaborate gauges on the market. However, if you do not require bells and whistles, you can make a rain gauge using common household items.

Things You'll Need

• Wide-mouth glass jar
• Permanent marker or glass paint
• Ruler, tape measure or yard stick
• Metal clothes hanger
• Pliers
• Wire snips

Instructions

1. Place the jar on a flat, level surface. Place a measuring device, such as a ruler, into the bottom of the jar. This will account for the thickness of the jar bottom.

2. Mark the outside of the jar at the desired intervals, such as 1/4 or 1/2 inch, using a waterproof permanent marker or glass paint.

3. Straighten out a metal hanger using pliers. Wire strips might be necessary to snip off the tightly curled end of the hanger that wraps around the "neck" of the hanger.

4. Coil the hanger snugly around the glass jar, starting at the bottom and winding up to the middle or top third of the jar. The wire does not have to be tightly coiled. The hanger will act as a holder for the jar. Leave several inches of the wire straight at one end.

5. Find a level area in the yard and poke the straight end of the wire into the ground to secure the rain gauge jar. Alternatively, bend the straight end of the wire into a hook and hang it on a wall. When it rains, check the gauge to see how many inches fell.

Tips & Warnings

• Record each rainfall in a journal. Use the rain gauge as a science project.

Resources

• NASA: Rain science project idea