Electronic Rain Gauge - Unmatched Rainfall Accuracy

A rain gauge tells us how much rain water has fallen. An electronic rain gauge does this more accurately.

It utilizes a very precise sensor, and it provides this information in detailed form, so that it can be used to study rain patterns and to make projections.

Scientific rain gauges have existed since the 14th century, but with the advent of electricity, new technology modernized the rain gauge, and now we have much more than a tipping bucket to help us know how much rain has fallen, to the fraction of a millimeter. Most of these gauges still use the tipping bucket concept. Even the smallest units have a tiny bucket built into the unit.

There are analog and digital electronic rain gauges, distinguishable only by the display of the reading, which in the former case is a dial and in the latter case is a number display. There are now both wired and wireless electronic rain gauges, so you don’t have to worry about wires and their complications anymore.

All rain gauges have a container, which acts as the sensor to read the volume of water accumulated. These receptacles come in many shapes and sizes, ranging from a vial to a bucket. Many of these, certainly the most convenient ones, are self-emptying containers. You can now purchase an electronic rain gauge for less than $30 dollars. Some units come in metric and some in English (inch) measurements, so be sure to get the one you need or one that can be set to either scales. The precision of the gauges commonly is to within 0.01 inches or 0.005 millimeter increments. There are research grade electronic rain gauges, used to measure infinitesimal rainfall in a desert or Monsoon volume rainfall in the tropics, and the more standard units handle more common measurements. Many of these gauges can be used in conjunction with a weather station, as an additional sensor to that unit. There are even gauges which have built in cellular phone communication or ethernet capability, or both. Using these features, the rain gauge can transmit alerts and warnings, and different levels of alarms can be pre-programmed to trigger these messages.

An electronic rain gauge can run on batteries or alternative power sources, although solar power is uncommon for this technology, not surprisingly. The gauges must be installed following detailed instructions in order to take correct readings. You should install or place your gauge in a safe and reachable place, so as not to run unnecessary risks when retrieving the unit or performing maintenance on your unit.

The display of the gauge, be it analog or digital, comes in various qualities. The higher the resolution and the detail of the display, including some in multiple colors, the higher the price of the unit. For common, every day use, a basic unit provides ample information.

I suspect the traditional upright glass vial rain gauge we used in our Science class experiment has already been replaced with a new electronic rain gauge. Now students need to take readings in much smaller and more accurate increments, as with most of modern technology.