It’s Raining, It’s Pouring

What is a rain gauge?

A rain gauge is a weather tool used to measure the amount of precipitation that has fallen in a given time. To get an accurate read on a rain gauge, the reading must happen at the same time each day. This helps minimize problems with evaporation.

rain gauge attached to deck
The Experiment

Build your own rain gauge and keep track of the precipitation that falls in your area for a week, month, or even year after year. Once your rain gauge is complete, find an open place to put it. Do not put it under a tree or near a house or building as this could not provide you with an accurate measurement (data). Be sure to check your rain gauge at a designated time each day. Checking it at different times can give you a wrong (inaccurate) reading as well.

Materials

2 liter soda bottle, emptied and cleaned

empty bottle with cap

Ruler

plastic ruler

Scissors or knife

scissors

Modeling clay

Block of clay

2-5 paper clips

paper clips
Directions
STEP 1

Cut off the top third of the bottle.

soda bottle cut around the top 1/3 and separated

STEP 2

Use modeling clay and press into the bottom of the bottle to create a flat, smooth surface.

STEP 3

Invert (flip) the top of the bottle into the bottom of the bottle. This helps keep leaves and debris out of the rain gauge and helps hold the ruler in place.

STEP 4

Use paper clips to keep the 2 bottle pieces held together.

soda bottle with 1/3 top cut and inverted inside the base, attached with clips at edges and clay on bottom to make it flat

STEP 5

Attach the ruler to the side of the bottle.

complete rain gauge witth ruler attached to outside

STEP 6

Place your rain gauge in an open, flat, outdoor space.

STEP 7

After the rain has stopped, go out and measure the amount of rain that your rain gauge has collected.

Dinner Talk
  • Track your measurements for a month. How much rain did you get? Share your findings on the refrigerator for all to see.
  • What are some advantages of tracking weather data at your house?
  • After a month of collecting data, determine which day received the most rain (precipitation), how many days it rained, and the total amount of precipitation that fell.
Extra Enrichment
  • Create a graph with your data. Collect data for a whole year and see which month is the wettest and which is the driest.
Visit

Meteorologists site – Weather Wiz Kids

Scholastic Weather Instruments: StudyJams! Science

This Grab and Go is brought to you by
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This work is supported by the CYFAR grant no. 2017-46100-27224, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.