Automatic Rain Gauge

Rain Fall Measurement

Rain fall measurement or precipitation as it is also known is the way in which we calculate how much rain has fallen. There is various ways in which we can do this depending on many factors. But first we need to ask why do we need to measure how much rain has fallen?

We have been measuring how much rain falls for centuries, but now it becomes an important study to observe how the climate is changing, and because the earth is warming up, our reservoir are drying up, and thus our water shortages. Local weather stations can also keep a record of the data, to see how it effects our river and streams.

Another important field where precipitation is measured is for agricultural needs. Any growing plant needs water to survive, so rainfall is crucial to its survival, but in another respect, to much rainfall can damage crops and other farming products.

There is many ways in which we can measure how much rain we get and I will describe a few here. The most typical and most used is the rain gauge. This is basically a container that holds the water, so that you cam measure it. There is many different kinds of gauges, so I will take a look at these now.

Standard Rain Gauge

This gauge is the most commonly used which catches the rain and once the inside graduated cylinder fills up, the outer larger container catches the excess.

Weighing Precipitation Gauge

With this type of device, the rain is weighed to record the mass which is done by having a pen on a rotating drum, or a vibrating wire. these types of gauges tend to be more expensive but more exact in collecting there data.

Tipping Bucket rain Gauge

This rain gauge collects the water by way of a funnel, that channels the water in a see saw motion in to a container. Once a certain amount of rain has fallen in to the container, it is tipped in to the main drum, so then a signal records once it has tipped.

These are your typical types of rain gauges that record the precipitation but with the advances in technology, you can measure rainfall with more sophisticated items. for example you can now use software that is connected to your computer, and get actual live data of the rain fall in your area, or even in your own back garden. This weather station software is very accurate, and more and more people are using them, from the complete novice, to the amateur meteorologist, to the local weather station.

Your local weather station will use some kind of computer related software to measure the data of rainfall, but typically they will also take reading for wind speed, wind direction, humidity, temperature, and barometric pressure.

It is important to just take a moment and think about how much water we use in our daily life, and think about the environment, and because of these global changes, we need to try and save a little water when we go about our daily life. For example showering saves a lot of water compared to having a bath, and using a water can in your garden as opposed to a hosepipe, will save a lot more water.

Meteorological Station

A Meteorological Station or weather station as it is also known, is a place where data is gathered to monitor weather conditions. This facility could be on land or at sea, measuring the atmospheric conditions to study climate and weather.

Typical measurements that would be taken include wind speed, wind direction, precipitation, barometric pressure, humidity and temperature. When measuring temperature and humidity, the observation is kept away from direct sunlight. When measuring, the instruments will bear the full force of the wind to gain readings.

Observing the weather will be done automatically and manually, automatically probably every hour, and manual observations once a day. For measuring data out at sea, ships and buoys will be used. but they will typically measure wave height, sea temperatures and much more.

A weather station will use most of these instruments to measure there data.

Rain gauge: This will measure liquid precipitation over a period of time.
Hygrometer: This instrument is used for measuring humidity
Anemometer: Wind speed is calculated with this device.
Barometer: For measuring atmospheric pressure.
Thermometer: This measures land ans sea temperature.

You also may have a smaller version of a station that is set up at an airport, to monitor things such as,

Ceiling projector: This measures the cloud ceiling
Disdrometer: Measuring drop size distribution
Transmissometer: This checks visibility
A sensor for present conditions for rain fall

You also have advanced or professional weather stations that use the same instruments above, but might also include, solar radiation sensors, snow gauge, leaf wetness sensors, soil temperature sensor, and ultra violet light sensors. Another instrument they might use is a probe that measures evapotranspiration which is very useful for the agricultural industry.

Meteorological stations can be set up two ways, either wireless or wired. They both have advantages, and disadvantages, so its important to do your homework if you are thinking about buying one.

Apart from the rain gauge and the anemometer (these two instruments need to be out in the elements) the rest should be enclosed in what is called a Stevenson Screen, which it a type of vented box. This is to stop direct sunlight and wind to affect the instruments

If you have an interest in the weather for personal information it is possible now to have your own personal weather station. there is hundreds of products out there today on the market, for every ones specific needs.
You can now have all the data connected to your home pc, or laptop, this is how advanced these systems are now, and collecting data can be sent to different groups, or organisations through the internet. Another source of transmitting data to fellow meteorologists is by way of cb radio.

Because weather is part of our daily routine, it is not surprising that major weather stations have been setup in a network all over the world. These networks will monitor pressure systems and weather fronts. You can find and read about all the different networks around the world.

Auriol Weather Station

The Auriol weather station or temperature station as it is also known, is a digital thermometer for measuring temperature indoors and out. It has a really nice looking interface, which is easy to use. It comes with many features which I will outline here.

On the actual display itself it has several features.

Outdoor temp display in Celsius or Fahrenheit
A maximum and minimum temperature values for outside.
A temperature trend display
Reception indicator/bar
Battery power bar for outdoor sensor.

Indoor temp display in Celsius or Fahrenheit
A maximum and minimum temperature values for inside.
Temperature trend display
Battery power display for temperature station

Shows the time in 12 hour or 24 hour mode, hours and minutes displayed and a snooze feature.
It has two different alarms, a time signal indicator, seconds display and summer time reading.
It also shows the date with the day, month and day of the week.

The weather station is an updated version of your regular thermometer, as we progress in life technology gets better and better. Our first weather stations were the old thermometers, that used the mercury in the glass tube, but with the advancement of science, we come to gadgets like this Auriol weather station.

They are great to use, really cheap to buy in this day when gadgets are getting smaller and smaller.

Because its a digital product, they tend to be a lot more accurate than the old types of thermometers. In the old days if you wanted to read the temperature, it could take a while for the mercury to rise up and down the tube, but with a digital device the readings are instant.

This device can be really useful in the winter, for example if the temperature starts to drop you can check your station, and plan ahead. You could put your car in the garage, if you notice the temperature dropping, or you could put some salt down on your drive in anticipation of the coming ice. If you are elderly then you will know that it will most probably be very icy in the morning, so you should take care.

Have you watched the weather on your television or read the forecast on your computer, but it never really gives you exactly what's happening outside your door. This could be because the actual weather station could be miles away from where you actually live, so it can never give an exact reading of your temperature right outside your house.

With this little gadget you can get instant readings inside and outside your house, and if it gets to warm inside, you can easily adjust your heating and conserve energy. The beauty of this station also is the fact that it is a wireless device, so you can take it out to your garden, and get a true reading away from your house, because the range is 30 metres

If you are interested in the weather and devices like the weather station you can start upgrading and buying many different products. There is a whole world of different products to monitor the weather, for the beginner up to the experienced person. You can start of with thermometers, but maybe you would like to monitor rain fall, this is where you can look at rain gauges.

For the more advanced you can get complete weather stations which you can add all the information on to your computer, these are called weather station software, and they monitor everything from rainfall, to temperature, to humidity.

On a final note, the Auriol weather station is a good little product that might get you interested to look at other products in the weather range, if that is what you intend to do.

Indoor Outdoor Thermometer Wireless

Indoor Outdoor thermometer Wireless is a device for measuring the temperature, both in and out doors. I am sure like a lot of people over the years, you were used to the old thermometer with the mercury in the tube, but with the onset of technology, you can now buy digital thermometers.

Because its a digital product, it will be a lot more accurate than your old wooden thermometer, that is not very good at showing exactly what the temperature is straight away. The old ones tended to take a while to realise the temperature, where now these digital products tell you instantly.

If like me, you are always watching the weather on Television and they tell you how hot or cold it is, have you often wondered how accurate that might be, because you could be miles away from one of there weather stations. You now do not have to rely on your local weather station to give you true readings.

I do not know if you are like me and would rather see the temperature in Fahrenheit, instead of Celsius but you have the option to choose which you would like to see. Either way you can take the thermometer outside and in and get instant temperatures.

Another positive thing about this thermometer is the fact that it can give you warnings about the cold weather that is about to hit you. It has an inbuilt function that alerts you when ice starts setting in around your home.
This is a really useful tool to let you plan ahead for the day to come, perhaps if you are going on a long journey in your car.

Getting an early alert of the weather turning cold, gives you the time to go out and buy some rock salt for your drive, or maybe even get a sled for the children. If you are elderly then this could actually save your life, if you get the warning then you do not have to go outside the next day, and fall over on the ice and break something.

Because of the technology you can take the Indoor Outdoor Thermometer Wireless outside to a range of at least 30 meters, or 100 feet in old terms. this is ideal for someone with a big garden, or perhaps you maybe think you will not get a true reading, right outside your backdoor, so you can take your thermometer down the garden, and still get an accurate reading.

Another plus about this device is the wireless part of the thermometer, gone are the days where you have so many cables running all over your floor, a trip hazard ready to send you flying. These days lots of cables is not a pretty site, more and more people tend to hide there cables in the walls now, so any extra cables would just be unsightly.

Finally because its a gadget so its lightweight and small, you can put it on your desktop, or you can hang it on a wall. These thermometers use batteries so it saves on electricity. You could even take it on holiday and get the exact temperature, while you are in your hotel room or on your balcony.

Weighing Precipitation Gauge

A Weighing Precipitation Gauge like other types of rain gauges is an instrument for measuring rainfall or liquid precipitation as it is also known, over a set amount of time.

It consists of a big storage bin, which will be weighed before and after it has rained to record the mass. There are basically two types of these gauges, one which has a pen on a rotating drum to measure the mass, or the other type which has an attached vibrating wire, which is connected to a data logger.

A well known type of Weighing precipitation gauge is the Pluvio, which uses specialty weighted technology to measure the precipitation, be it rain, snow or hail, and it takes a measurement every six seconds. With the technology within this device it is able to record accurately the precipitation, taking in to account wind, temperature and evaporation.

The capacity of these gauges can vary but they can be anything from 750mm up to 1500mm, and they can monitor the weather continuously. This could be anywhere from a home environment, are most probably a weather station.

Main benefits of the Weighing Precipitation Gauge are that they do not need much maintenance, once or twice a year. Very robust so that it can with stand all temperatures. Low power consumption and can also be run with solar power.

Although the Precipitation gauge is generally more expensive than the standard rain gauges, it has advantages in that it can measure big rainstorms, and can also measure snow and hail.

Another great feature of this device for scientists is the fact that it can measure chemicals in the atmosphere, to study the effect of green house gases in our environment.

There is many different types of rain gauges, the weighing precipitation gauge just one of many, it is up to you the reader to get out there, go and make one, or buy one and have fun, doing experiments and watching that data come in.

Technology is ever increasing to the point you can get complete weather station software for your home, and you can monitor all the data through your computer

Weather Stations

In my last post I mentioned the different types of automatic rain gauge, and rain gauges in particular. Now what if you wanted to track more options other than just a rain gauge.
If you like to keep a track of the weather then there is no better option then a weather station. There is a huge choice of weather stations out there, so deciding which one fits your needs can be daunting. I will try and give you an overview of all the different types to helpfully guide you in the right direction.

Home Weather Stations
A home weather station could be used for home, small business, club which would include a set of instruments to measure anemometer, wind, rain gauge, barometer, solar radiation.
Professional Weather Station
This type of weather station can be used once again by home owners, businesses, clubs, but they come with much stricter guidelines for accuracy. They will be up to (NIST) National Institute of Standards and Technology. They will measure the same set of parameters, and may also include extra instruments for measuring water temperature, soil temperature, leaf dampness, ultraviolet, and soil moisture.
Portable Weather Station
You can set up a portable weather station with in minutes, and these can be hand held, tripod systems, or vehicle mounted. These type of devices can be used for a huge range of circumstances such as, sky diving, fire and rescue, unmanned aerial vehicles, ski patrol, and military to name a few. They carry the same measurements as a home or professional station.
Agricultural Weather Station
An agricultural weather station will provide up to date accurate information for farmers, who can access the data live at home and also view online data. The data stored can also help to keep an eye on crops, livestock comfort, poultry farming, grain handling, and golf course management. This is not the full list; there is a huge range of options for these stations.
Weather Station for Airports
With the increase in technology smaller airports are now including weather stations as an option, which have internet and radio communication tools. These weather stations are up to the NIST standard, and have the usual set of instruments.

As technology makes it easier for us to track all the parameters in a weather station, you can now get weather station software for you to install the information on your computer and track all the data from anywhere. The most complete and most widely used is the Virtual Weather Station Software.

Weighing gauge

We discussed the standard rain gauge in our last post, and now I am going to look at the weighing gauge. This type of gauge contains a big storage bin, which is weighed to record the mass. Different models weigh the mass, by different means, for example one way is to use a vibrating wire which is connected to a data logger. Another way of measuring the mass is with a pen on a rotating drum.

The advantages of a weighing gauge over other gauges, is the fact it can measure all types of precipitation, snow, hail and off course rain. The weighing gauge is also able to measure chemicals in the atmosphere in the area it is located. This chemical measuring can be extemely useful for scientists, who can check the effects of green house gases. The downside to this type of gauge is that it is more expensive then other types, and requires more maintenance.

Automatic Rain gauge

A rain gauge is a instrument that measures how much rainfall falls in a given set time.

The Ancient greeks were the first people to monitor rainfall at around 500 b.c. They were followd by the Country of India, around 100 years later, using bowls to collect the water. Measuring the rainfall give the greeks and Indians an idea to collect the data, and then tax there citizens, according to how much growth of pastures from the rainfall.

According to history, the first known rain gauge was made by a man called Cheugugi from Korea, but we also find other sources that credit Jang Yeong Sil to be the first person to devlop a rain gauge, by refining an existing gauge.

In the United Kingdom Christopher Wren developed the first rain guage, called the tipping bucket in 1662 A.D.

Usually when measuring how much rain has fallen, the measurements are taken in millimetres, but sometimes it can be measured in inches or centimetres. They can either be read by a person, or a automatic weather station. The amount of time between readings depends on the agency that requires the reading.

There is different types of rain gauges, which can be categorised as,

weighing gauges, tipping bucket gauges, buried pit gauges and graduated cylinders.

Automatic rain gauges are rain gauges that electronically start working once it feels rain on the gauge. They automatically record the data, from measuring to removing the rainfall afterwards. They come with digital displays,and record up to 60 days worth of rain.

Different types of automatic rain gauge / gauges

Rain gauges and automatic rain gauges can be classed into different categories and generally follow this rule:

Graduated cylinders or standard rain gauge. These were made around the 20th century, and consists of a graduated cylinder, with a funnel attached to it, which is then sat in a large container. What happens when it rains, the cylinder fills up, and overflows into the large container, thus the cylinder is measured, and the excess from the large container, is put into another cylinder to be measured.

Generally most rain gauges measure the rain fall in mm, as does the standard rain gauge, and the amount of rain the standard guage can hold is 25mm. Each line on the cylinder is 0.2 mm, and once the water reaches the top, there is a small hole for the rain water to fall in to the larger container.

This is an example of a rain gauge.

Acu-Rite 00614 Wireless Rain Gauge features an extra-wide, 6 inch diameter rain

collector (9.5 inches in height) to ensure better measurement accuracy.

automatic rain gauge

A rain gauge(also known as a udometer or a pluviometer [Pluviograph ] or a cup) is a type of instrument used by meteorologists and hydrologists to gather and measure the amount of liquid precipitation (as opposed to solid precipitation that is measured by a snow gauge) over a set period of time.

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