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Behind the Scenes: How I Measure Rain for the National Weather Service
I'm taking you behind the scenes to show you how I measure rain for the National Weather Service as part of the NWS Co-op program. You might be surprised to learn that we don't use our fancy automated weather stations for this important task!
The Official Rain Gauge:
Instead, we rely on a trusty manual rain gauge. This isn't your typical Home Depot variety – it's a specially designed-instrument that's incredibly accurate. As you can see in the video, it has two cylinders: an inner one that holds up to an inch of rain, and an outer one that can hold up to 11 inches!
How It Works:
When it rains, the water collects in the funnel and fills the inner cylinder. Once that's full, it overflows into the outer cylinder. To measure the rainfall, I simply use a dipstick to see how high the water level is in each cylinder. In the video, you'll see that we received 0.69 inches of rain the previous day.
So, why don't we use our automated weather stations to measure rain? While they're great for providing real-time data on temperature, wind speed, and more, their rainfall measurements can be less accurate than those obtained from a manual gauge. That's why the National Weather Service prefers the tried-and-true method for official rain reporting.
I also give you a closer look at my automated weather station. You'll see the rain gauge, the anemometer that measures wind speed and direction, the solar panel that powers the station, and the temperature sensor.
If you're interested in getting real-time updates on my weather station data, you can visit sachseweather.com. And of course, don't forget to subscribe to my channel for more behind-the-scenes weather fun!
I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into the world of official rain measurement. Thanks for watching!
Support the show
Thank you Sponsors!!
A Mann Plumbing
Bacon Roofing
Baked RightIn
Bickerstaff Insurance and Financial Services
You can follow the podcast on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
If you would like to be a Sponsor of the show, send an email to [email protected].
View all episodes
By Jeff Bickerstaff
5
11 ratings
I'm taking you behind the scenes to show you how I measure rain for the National Weather Service as part of the NWS Co-op program. You might be surprised to learn that we don't use our fancy automated weather stations for this important task!
The Official Rain Gauge:
Instead, we rely on a trusty manual rain gauge. This isn't your typical Home Depot variety – it's a specially designed-instrument that's incredibly accurate. As you can see in the video, it has two cylinders: an inner one that holds up to an inch of rain, and an outer one that can hold up to 11 inches!
How It Works:
When it rains, the water collects in the funnel and fills the inner cylinder. Once that's full, it overflows into the outer cylinder. To measure the rainfall, I simply use a dipstick to see how high the water level is in each cylinder. In the video, you'll see that we received 0.69 inches of rain the previous day.
So, why don't we use our automated weather stations to measure rain? While they're great for providing real-time data on temperature, wind speed, and more, their rainfall measurements can be less accurate than those obtained from a manual gauge. That's why the National Weather Service prefers the tried-and-true method for official rain reporting.
I also give you a closer look at my automated weather station. You'll see the rain gauge, the anemometer that measures wind speed and direction, the solar panel that powers the station, and the temperature sensor.
If you're interested in getting real-time updates on my weather station data, you can visit sachseweather.com. And of course, don't forget to subscribe to my channel for more behind-the-scenes weather fun!
I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into the world of official rain measurement. Thanks for watching!
Support the show
Thank you Sponsors!!
A Mann Plumbing
Bacon Roofing
Baked RightIn
Bickerstaff Insurance and Financial Services
You can follow the podcast on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
If you would like to be a Sponsor of the show, send an email to [email protected].