You may have heard the term “it’s raining cats and dogs,” and knew that if you stepped outside, you wouldn’t see Fluffy or Fido falling from the sky. Instead, you know that the term means it’s raining heavily. Rainfall is measured in inches and fractions of inches. A sprinkle is generally one tenth of an inch of rainfall or less per hour, while moderate rainfall is from one tenth to one third of an inch per hour. When it gets heavy and soggy is when it falls at a rate that is over one third of an inch per hour.

There are many different types of rain gauges used to get a rainfall measurement. The first is the standard eight inch rain gauge. The second way to measure new rainfall is by weighing a bucket of rainwater. The third type is called the tipping bucket method. Lastly, there is the high tech electronic rain gauge. Rain gauges can be plastic or glass and are quite a convenient way to determine whether it was just a tiny sprinkle or whether it was raining cats and dogs. They are typically placed on a fence post or any other platform that is without obstruction. There are calibration marks on the side of the gauge, and the rainfall measurements are read directly off of it.

In order to measure rainfall precisely, the gauge should be located out in the open and away from tall buildings, trees and any other obstructions. Inaccurate measurements are taken if the gauge is too close to large, impeding objects. The science behind the gauges isn’t totally precise, as water that is blowing or falling off of structures can enter the gauge, showing that it was raining cats and dogs when in actuality, it was only a moderate rain shower.

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Filed under: Dog Insurance

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