Weighing Precipitation Gauge

A Weighing Precipitation Gauge like other types of rain gauges is an instrument for measuring rainfall or liquid precipitation as it is also known, over a set amount of time.

It consists of a big storage bin, which will be weighed before and after it has rained to record the mass. There are basically two types of these gauges, one which has a pen on a rotating drum to measure the mass, or the other type which has an attached vibrating wire, which is connected to a data logger.

A well known type of Weighing precipitation gauge is the Pluvio, which uses specialty weighted technology to measure the precipitation, be it rain, snow or hail, and it takes a measurement every six seconds. With the technology within this device it is able to record accurately the precipitation, taking in to account wind, temperature and evaporation.

The capacity of these gauges can vary but they can be anything from 750mm up to 1500mm, and they can monitor the weather continuously. This could be anywhere from a home environment, are most probably a weather station.

Main benefits of the Weighing Precipitation Gauge are that they do not need much maintenance, once or twice a year. Very robust so that it can with stand all temperatures. Low power consumption and can also be run with solar power.

Although the Precipitation gauge is generally more expensive than the standard rain gauges, it has advantages in that it can measure big rainstorms, and can also measure snow and hail.

Another great feature of this device for scientists is the fact that it can measure chemicals in the atmosphere, to study the effect of green house gases in our environment.

There is many different types of rain gauges, the weighing precipitation gauge just one of many, it is up to you the reader to get out there, go and make one, or buy one and have fun, doing experiments and watching that data come in. 

Technology is ever increasing to the point you can get complete weather station software for your home, and you can monitor all the data through your computer

Weather Stations

In my last post I mentioned the different types of automatic rain gauge, and rain gauges in particular. Now what if you wanted to track more options other than just a rain gauge.
If you like to keep a track of the weather then there is no better option then a weather station. There is a huge choice of weather stations out there, so deciding which one fits your needs can be daunting. I will try and give you an overview of all the different types to helpfully guide you in the right direction.


Home Weather Stations
A home weather station could be used for home, small business, club which would include a set of instruments to measure anemometer, wind, rain gauge, barometer, solar radiation.
Professional Weather Station
This type of weather station can be used once again by home owners, businesses, clubs, but they come with much stricter guidelines for accuracy. They will be up to (NIST) National Institute of Standards and Technology. They will measure the same set of parameters, and may also include extra instruments for measuring water temperature, soil temperature, leaf dampness, ultraviolet, and soil moisture.
Portable Weather Station
You can set up a portable weather station with in minutes, and these can be hand held, tripod systems, or vehicle mounted. These type of devices can be used for a huge range of circumstances such as, sky diving, fire and rescue, unmanned aerial vehicles, ski patrol, and military to name a few. They carry the same measurements as a home or professional station.
Agricultural Weather Station
An agricultural weather station will provide up to date accurate information for farmers, who can access the data live at home and also view online data. The data stored can also help to keep an eye on crops, livestock comfort, poultry farming, grain handling, and golf course management. This is not the full list; there is a huge range of options for these stations.
Weather Station for Airports
With the increase in technology smaller airports are now including weather stations as an option, which have internet and radio communication tools. These weather stations are up to the NIST standard, and have the usual set of instruments.

As technology makes it easier for us to track all the parameters in a weather station, you can now get weather station software for you to install the information on your computer and track all the data from anywhere. The most complete and most widely used is the Virtual Weather Station Software.