Rainfall Measurement

In this project, rainfall measurement is the most challenging part as I want to make it simple yet reliable and efficient. Before I go with the method that I use to measure rainfall for this project, I'd like to share information about how meteorologist measure rainfall quantity.

Weather observers use more sophisticated instruments, known as rain gauges and tipping buckets to more precisely measure precipitation. Rain gauges have wide openings at the top for rainfall. The rain falls and is funneled into a narrow tube, one-tenth the diameter of the top of the gauge.It fills up with rain water, and the meteorologist then measures how much rain has fallen. Rainfall is measured in millimeters. It is usually described as light, moderate, or heavy rain, depending on how much has fallen. Zero millimeters of rain a day is no rain.

In simple way.....

This is how the rain gauge look like. 0 reading means no rain. Light rain, which is up to 2.5 millimeters of rainfall an hour, isn't very wet. Moderate rain measures 2.5 to 7.5 millimeters of rain an hour.If you're outside it would be wet enough without an umbrella or raincoat. If more than 7.5 millimetres of rain is falling an hour, meteorologists call it heavy rain.

For my project, applying the concept; I will use a tube or gauge to collect the rainfall while to measure the level I use Infra Red (IR) sensor. I'll put a floating material such as ping pong ball or a piece of polystyrene inside the gauge, when rainfall drops it will float and IR sensor will detect its distance.