Rain cometh

[mikim]

Re: How does a rain guage work?

What we have here at the office and is used as our official - is an 8" gauge. It has an 8" diameter top that funnels into a 2.5" brass tube 20" long. At home I have a plastic gauge that is exactly 1/2 size. It has a 4" dia top that funnels into a 1.25" tube 10" long that is marked off in .01 increments. The tube itself holds just 1" but the gauge holds up to 12". (picture a tube inside a tube--- the inside one is the measuring tube that overflows into the outer. When you get more than an inch - you pour out the measuring tube then pour the excess from the outer tube into the measuring). My assumption from that is... if a gauge is sized proportionately to the 8" gauge - it'll measure right. The plastic home gauge is from Productive Alternatives, 1205 North Tower Rd, Fergus Falls, MN 56537---- I don't see a web page on the paper. This one gives instructions on how to use it to measure snow and moisture content too. (something I sure don't worry about) It's been raining here today too - at home from Monday -> Monday I got 19.5". OK it's enuff - It can quit anytime now.
mike

 

[Harv]

Re: How does a rain guage work?

I've had some that looked like oversized test tubes and others with the funnel-type thingy on the top. Both work just fine, but the funnel-top unit is easier to read more accurately.

Why is that? Well, in either case, the markings on the side are calibrated to show how many inches of rain have dropped into the opening at the top. The funnel-top unit, however, has the effect of magnifying the amount of water collected. On the one I have now, the funnel top has an opening that is exactly twice the area of the tube itself. Therefore, one inch of actual rainfall is collected two inches deep in the tube. The markings on the side, of course, are calibrated to compensate for this, thus producing the "magnifying" effect.

Not sure I worded that too well, but I hope you get the idea. /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

 

[Tdog]

Bird, Alan & other Texans - - glad to hear you are finally getting some rain, although it sounds like most of it is bypassing Bird. We went through about two & a half to three years of drought & I can remember celebrating when we'd get just a tenth of an inch or so. So far, this year since about March, the rains have been fairly regular - - that's normal for SE La.

Sounds like Ches in N.C. is due for some of the wet stuff too.

 

[RJohnson]

Don't look noew Bird, but the rain is about to find you/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif. According to the radar there is a large cell heading straight for you.But then again maybe you were unkind to the rain gods and it will split and go around you again/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif.
Anyway I hope you get some rain because I sure am getting tired of it. Two months of nothing and then all of a sudden it tries to catch up in one week.
Did you see all the folks in Fort Worth who thought they owned boats insteads of cars/w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif? It sure has been strange when some of us don't receve hardly any rain and others have too much.
Who started this thread anyway? ERNIEB it is all your fault/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif.

Randy

 

[Bird]

Yeah, Randy, I watched all that flooding in Ft. Worth on the TV news last night, and this morning I've been looking at the radar and now it's getting light enough to see lots of dark clouds. I planned to mow the yard today; guess I can put it off again./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif I've still got some cracks in the ground and the lake is still low, so we hope it does rain more here.

Well, the rain just arrived, right after I posted this ; coming down good, and the radar looks like it might last awhile./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Bird<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by Bird on 09/05/01 07:12 AM (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[Bird]

Mike, I do like your web site better than the others; bigger, clearer picture and loads faster on my computer than the others.

Bird

 

[ERNIEB]

Don't shoot me, I'm only the piano player/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif My rain guage got broke awhile back, and I haven't got around to replacing it, but from what I've heard we have had something over 10 inches so far. This morning we had a little thunder shower that only lasted about 15 minutes, but the ground is so saturated that water was running everywhere. When this is over the skeeters will be terrible.

Ernie

 

[Bird]

The sun came out about noon. I got another half inch this morning; no run off, but the grass sure is growing fast./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Bird

 

[patrickg]

Re: How does a rain guage work?

Harv, Right again. I have the funnel type because it "magnifies" the reading. Mine has a thin bright red float that allows me to read the gage from quite a distance. With binocs I don't have to go outside to read to the nearest 1/16 inch. It never has rained enough to over fill it before letting up long enough for me to empty it at my lelisure. I 'spose you could have a remote drain control. Gee whiz, gettin gready to button the shop up (computer location) and go to the house to eat and all this talk of rain....and now it is raining here... and I'm walking. Don't want to take the tractor as if it rains too much Driving it out tomorrow would make a real mess.

Patrick (hoping for a break in the rain, now to eat, tomorrow to pour cement.)

 

[ERNIEB]

Sitting here waiting for this to arrive. I think I'll go out and say goodbye to my driveway. I'm located right under the A in Antonio.

Ernie
<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by ERNIEB on 09/05/01 08:32 PM (server time).</FONT></P>