A rain gauge is an 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 followed 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 gauge, called the
tipping bucket in 1662 A.D.
Usually when measuring how much rain has fallen, the measurements are taken in
millimeters, but sometimes it can be measured in inches or centimeters. 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 categorized 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 consist 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 gauge 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.
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 extremely 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
Automatic Rain gauge