The yearly rainfall average is a vital piece of rainfall climate data. It is recorded through a variety of methods. Precipitation includes rainfall, snow, sleet, hail, and other forms of water falling to the ground and is measured in units over a given time period. Precipitation is commonly shown in inches per twenty four hour period in the United States. If four inches of rain fell in a twenty four hour period and the water wasn’t absorbed into the ground nor did it flow away downhill, then there would be a four inch layer of water covering the ground. In other words, it would have been raining cats and dogs.

Rainfall was the first weather element that was ever accurately measured. It isn’t known who measured it first or where the first rain gauge was used. Since nothing more than a bucket and ruler are required to get accurate rainfall data, it’s easy to see how this could have been done many hundreds of years ago. History shows that the Greeks kept rainfall records as early as the 5th century B.C, though they never had a measurement for when it was raining cats and dogs.

A tipping bucket records precipitation on a rotating drum or electronically. A simple rain gauge has a funnel, but the funnel leads to two tiny buckets. The buckets are balanced similarly to a see-saw and each holds one-hundredth of an inch of water. When one bucket fills up, it tips down and is emptied as the other bucket fills with precipitation. Each tip of the bucket causes the rotating drum to record an increase of one-hundredth of an inch of rain. This method is not for when it’s raining cats and dogs.

Beth Kaminski is the co-author of Curing Your Anxiety And Panic Attacks which detailed panic attacks help as well as tips on the various anxiety disorder medications available at anxietydisordercure.com.

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