Measuring the Weather How Much Does It Rain

Measuring the Weather

How Much Does It Rain? Think about when it rains. Does it rain a lot, or just a bit? How do people know how much it rains? How much does it rain where you live? Today you will find out about how scientists measure the rain.

Rain Gauge A rain gauge is a device that is used to measure how much rain falls in an area over a set time. The first rain gauge using standard measurements was invented many hundreds of years ago in a country called Korea. In Britain, in 1662, two scientists called Christopher Wren and Robert Hooke worked together to invent a special type of rain gauge. The rain gauge could measure how fast the rain falls as well as how much rain falls.

Meteorologists are scientists who study the weather, and predict the weather we will have over the next few days. Why do you think meteorologists study how much rain falls? Richard Towneley was the first meteorologist to record the rainfall regularly. He used a rain gauge to measure the rain every day for 15 years running! George James Symons was another meteorologist to study rainfall. He also invented a new type of rain gauge in his own garden, which is still used by British forecasters today!

Invent Your Own Rain Gauge Today you are going to become meteorologists! You are going to study the amount of rain that falls on your school this week. Can you find out which day has the most rainfall? You will invent your own rain gauge to collect and measure the rain. Follow the instructions to make your rain gauge.

Measure the Rainfall | 40 mm Place your rain gauge outside with help from an adult. Each day you should check your rain gauge and measure how much rain it has collected. Record this information on your Rainfall Activity Sheet.

How Much Did It Rain? Look at the information you have collected on your Rainfall Activity Sheet. On which day did it rain the most? Which day had the least rainfall?