Just a quick question to ask how DO you actually measure rainfall totals
during a hurricane when I imagine most of the rain is coming in
horizontally?

Read on www.ukweatherworld.co.uk that Isla Mujeres has recorded 1560mm of
rainfall in the last 24 hours. Have to state that this is very unconfirmed
though!

Thanks,

Jeremy H
Ilminster, Somerset

"Jeremy Handscomb" wrote in message
...
Just a quick question to ask how DO you actually measure rainfall totals
during a hurricane when I imagine most of the rain is coming in
horizontally?

Read on www.ukweatherworld.co.uk that Isla Mujeres has recorded 1560mm of
rainfall in the last 24 hours. Have to state that this is very unconfirmed
though!

Thanks,

Jeremy H
Ilminster, Somerset

Seems excessive, sea surge contamination ?

Joe

"Jeremy Handscomb" wrote in message
...
Just a quick question to ask how DO you actually measure rainfall totals
during a hurricane when I imagine most of the rain is coming in
horizontally?

Read on www.ukweatherworld.co.uk that Isla Mujeres has recorded 1560mm of
rainfall in the last 24 hours. Have to state that this is very unconfirmed
though!

Thanks,

Jeremy H
Ilminster, Somerset


Well, maybe this will compound the problem. Imagine a horizontal plain in
Spain. If the rain is coming in horizontally then none will enter the usual
rain gauge AND none will hit the plain. In the plains of Spain a hurricane
results in very little rain. In Spain it rains mainly on the mountain sides
and not in the plain during a hurricane. : )

Alex

"amcwill417" wrote in message
...

"Jeremy Handscomb" wrote in message
...
Just a quick question to ask how DO you actually measure rainfall totals
during a hurricane when I imagine most of the rain is coming in
horizontally?

Read on www.ukweatherworld.co.uk that Isla Mujeres has recorded 1560mm of
rainfall in the last 24 hours. Have to state that this is very
unconfirmed
though!

Thanks,

Jeremy H
Ilminster, Somerset


Well, maybe this will compound the problem. Imagine a horizontal plain in
Spain. If the rain is coming in horizontally then none will enter the
usual
rain gauge AND none will hit the plain. In the plains of Spain a
hurricane
results in very little rain. In Spain it rains mainly on the mountain
sides
and not in the plain during a hurricane. : )

Alex

Umm...

Thanks, Alex. : )

Jeremy


"amcwill417" wrote in message
...

"Jeremy Handscomb" wrote in message
...
Just a quick question to ask how DO you actually measure rainfall totals
during a hurricane when I imagine most of the rain is coming in
horizontally?

Read on www.ukweatherworld.co.uk that Isla Mujeres has recorded 1560mm of
rainfall in the last 24 hours. Have to state that this is very
unconfirmed
though!

Thanks,

Jeremy H
Ilminster, Somerset


Well, maybe this will compound the problem. Imagine a horizontal plain in
Spain. If the rain is coming in horizontally then none will enter the
usual
rain gauge AND none will hit the plain. In the plains of Spain a
hurricane
results in very little rain. In Spain it rains mainly on the mountain
sides
and not in the plain during a hurricane. : )

Alex

"Jeremy Handscomb" wrote in message
...
Just a quick question to ask how DO you actually measure rainfall totals
during a hurricane when I imagine most of the rain is coming in
horizontally?


The rain won't be coming in horizontally, although it might appear
to be doing so. Assuming that the rain gauge is in an exposed
location and not sheltered by nearby objects then the windspeed
will have no effect whatsoever upon the rainfall total.
If we consider that the trajectory of the rain is a vector made up of
two components at right angles to one another one can see that
this must be the case. The wind blows the rain sideways for sure,
the harder it blows the more 'horizontal' the rain appears.
However the vertical component is dependent only on gravity and
raindrop size and is effectively a constant.

It is this vertical component that determines what rainfall is collected.

Col
--
Bolton, Lancashire.
160m asl.

Gotcha. Should have known that really! Thanks for pointing it out Col.

Kind regards and apologies for the blank post.

Jeremy

"Col" wrote in message
...

"Jeremy Handscomb" wrote in message
...
Just a quick question to ask how DO you actually measure rainfall totals
during a hurricane when I imagine most of the rain is coming in
horizontally?


The rain won't be coming in horizontally, although it might appear
to be doing so. Assuming that the rain gauge is in an exposed
location and not sheltered by nearby objects then the windspeed
will have no effect whatsoever upon the rainfall total.
If we consider that the trajectory of the rain is a vector made up of
two components at right angles to one another one can see that
this must be the case. The wind blows the rain sideways for sure,
the harder it blows the more 'horizontal' the rain appears.
However the vertical component is dependent only on gravity and
raindrop size and is effectively a constant.

It is this vertical component that determines what rainfall is collected.

Col
--
Bolton, Lancashire.
160m asl.

amcwill417 wrote:

Well, maybe this will compound the problem. Imagine a horizontal plain in
Spain. If the rain is coming in horizontally then none will enter the usual
rain gauge AND none will hit the plain. In the plains of Spain a hurricane
results in very little rain. In Spain it rains mainly on the mountain sides
and not in the plain during a hurricane. : )

Alex


You need to get out more matey...

"Jeremy Handscomb" wrote in message
...
Just a quick question to ask how DO you actually measure rainfall totals
during a hurricane when I imagine most of the rain is coming in
horizontally?

Read on www.ukweatherworld.co.uk that Isla Mujeres has recorded 1560mm of
rainfall in the last 24 hours. Have to state that this is very unconfirmed
though!

Thanks,

Jeremy H
Ilminster, Somerset

There is a way of looking at this implied by my first posting. Look at the
ground. The raindrops hitting a unit area (either an acre or a square
meter, etc.) of ground during the storm will be such and such and this will
yield the rainfall amount - independent of the angle at which the drops hit
the ground. That same unit of area could be the opening at the top of the
rain gage.

( However, a rain gage projecting upward above the ground may, in a more
detailed analysis, be seen to have SOME effect on the collected rain because
it disturbs the air flow (wind) and hence the "flow" of raindrops and this
could be a VERY MINOR effect and I guess that somewhere and at sometime all
this has been investigated in great detail by someone).

Alex
St. Cloud, Minnesota

On Sat, 22 Oct 2005 15:00:15 -0500, amcwill417 wrote:

( However, a rain gage projecting upward above the ground may, in a
more detailed analysis, be seen to have SOME effect on the collected
rain because it disturbs the air flow (wind) and hence the "flow" of
raindrops and this could be a VERY MINOR effect and I guess that
somewhere and at sometime all this has been investigated in great
detail by someone).

There is (was?) something on the MetO site about rain gauges in
exposed locations and how they should be sited and protected. ISTR a
earth ring a few feet from the gauge and possibly the same height as
the guage top. Presumably to try an get laminer flow over the gauge
rather than turbulent from the wind suddenly hitting the gauge and
having to flow around/over it.

--
Cheers
Dave. pam is missing e-mail