If you want to measure the rainfall at home, you can easily make a rain gauge from a plastic bottle or a cylindrical container. Follow the steps listed below.
How to measure rainfall at home
- Take a plastic bottle and make a cylindrical container out of it by cutting off its neck using scissors. The container may have an uneven bottom.
- Place the inverted cut-out top over the container. It will act as a funnel and also prevent evaporation.
- Fill the container with water till it cover-up the uneven part at the bottom. Mark the water level.
- Place the container in an open space away from any obstruction such as a tree or a wall and take the reading after 24 hours.
- Calculate the rise in water level with the help of a ruler. The rise in water level is the rainfall in mm or inches.
- Take the reading every day in the morning for a week.
- Empty the container after each reading and repeat step 3.
- To calculate the average precipitation for the week, add all the readings, and divide by 7.
The width of the bottle/container does not matter as long it is a perfect cylinder.
Formula used:
Amount of rainfall = volume of water collected/area over which the water is collected
Quick question
Which is the largest desert in the world?
Read more
- How is rainfall measured? | What does 1 mm rainfall mean?
- Types of rainfall | Convectional, Orographic, Cyclonic
Answer to quick question
Antarctica is the largest desert in the world. It is a cold desert. Sahara desert is the largest hot desert in the world.