Steps on Using a Rain Gauge
Rain gauges measure how much liquid precipitation falls during a particular time period, down to the hundredth of an inch. Professional meteorologists use rain gauges, but they're not the only ones. Science students use rain gauges as a learning tool, and laypeople interested in the weather use them as part of their hobby. Anyone using a rain gauge needs to know to properly set up and read one in order to get an accurate measurement. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Check your local weather forecast to identify a period of time when it is going to rain at your home.
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Put the rain gauge out 45 minutes to an hour before it's forecast to rain. The rain gauge is attached to a mounting bracket. The mounting bracket can be nailed to a flat outdoor surface, such as a fence, or pushed down in the ground. However it's set up, make sure the rain gauge is standing straight up.
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Wait 45 minutes to an hour after the rain has stopped falling before you measure the amount of rain that fell.
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Pull the rain gauge carefully out of the mounting bracket. Don't tip the rain gauge as you don't want to spill any of the rain it's collected.
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Locate the meniscus, which is the curved surface that forms at the top of the water collected inside the rain gauge. Your measurements must be based on the lowest point of the meniscus.
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Locate the lines on the rain gauge that are closest to the lowest point of the meniscus. The larger lines mark tenths of an inch and are labeled as .20, .30 and .40 and so on. The smaller lines mark hundredths of an inch and are not labeled.
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Note what tenth of an inch mark is closest to - but not above - the lowest point of the meniscus. If that line isn't exactly on the lowest point of the meniscus, count up the number of smaller hundredth lines until you reach the lowest point of the meniscus. For example, if you count six small markings after the .30 mark, then your measurement would be .36 of an inch of rain that fell.
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Tips & Warnings
You can also set your rain gauge out before the snow is about to fall in the winter. Bring your rain gauge inside after the snow has stopped falling, and wait for it to melt before reading it.
Keep track of how much rain falls in a month or even a year by recording your findings in a notebook.
