School of Meteorology Climatology and Geophysics

PROCESS AND
MEASUREMENTS OF RAINFALL

Presented by :
Rio Putra Orleando
11210024 / Meteorology 2A

Campus of STMKG, 28 June 2022

 RAINFALL

The Hydrological Cycle Types of Clouds

What is Rain ? Size & Intensity

Types of Rainfall

MEASUREMENTS OF RAINFALL

Measurement of Rainfall Factors of Rainfall

THE HYDROLOGIC CYCLE

Within the atmosphere, there is an unending

circulation of water. Since the oceans occupy
over 70 percent of Earth’s surface, we can
think of this circulation as beginning over the
ocean

Source : Essentials of Meteorology, C. Donald Ahrens

WHAT IS RAIN?

Rain is liquid precipitation: water

falling from the sky. Raindrops fall to
Earth when clouds become saturated,
or filled, with water droplets.
 TYPE OF CLOUDS

Low level Mid level High level

 Stratus  Altostratus  Cirrostratus
 Nimbostratus  Altocumulus  Cirrocumulus
 Cumulonimbus  Cirrus
 Cumulus
 Stratocumulus
TYPE OF
CLOUDS
Stratus
TYPE OF
CLOUDS
Nimbostratus
TYPE OF
CLOUDS
Cumulonimbus
TYPE OF
CLOUDS
Cumulus
TYPE OF
CLOUDS
Stratocumulus
TYPE OF
CLOUDS
Altostratus
TYPE OF
CLOUDS
Altocumulus
TYPE OF
CLOUDS
Cirrostratus
TYPE OF
CLOUDS
Cirrocumulus
TYPE OF
CLOUDS
Cirrus
TYPE OF
CLOUDS
Cumulonimbus
 SIZE & Size
INTENSITY Minimum size of a raindrop is 0.5 mm
Maximum size of a raindrop is 6 mm

Most people consider rain to be any

falling drop of liquid water. To the
meteorologist, however, that falling
Intensity
drop must have a diameter equal to, or
Type Intensity
greater than, 0.5 mm to be considered
rain. Fine, uniform drops of water with
Light rain Up to 2.5 mm/hr
diameters are smaller than 0.5 mm
(which is a diameter about one-third the Moderate rain 5 mm/hr to 7.5 mm/hr
width of the letter “o” in the print
version of this page) are called drizzle Heavy rain >7.5 mm/hr

Violent rain >50 mm/hr

 TYPES OF RAINFALL
Convectional Rainfall

A packet of air which is warmer than

the surrounding air due to localized
heating rises upward and
consequently undergo cooling ,
condensation and precipitation .
 TYPES OF RAINFALL
Orographic Rainfall

The moist air masses get lifted up to

higher altitudes due to the presence of
the mountain barriers and consequently
undergo cooling , condensation and
precipitation .
 TYPES OF RAINFALL
Frontal Rainfall

When two air masses meet , they do not

mix readily due to differences in
temperature and density . A front is an
imaginary line separating two
contrasting air masses .
 MEASUREMENT OF RAINFALL
The rainfall is collected and measured in a raingauge

For sitting a raingauge the following consideration are important :

• The ground must be level and in the open and the instrument must present a
horizontal catch surface.
• The gauge must be set as near the ground as possible to reduce wind effects
but it must be sufficiently high to prevent flooding, etc. T
• he instrument must be surrounded by an open fenced area of least 5.5 m X 5.5
m.
• No object should be nearer to the instrument than 30 m or twice the height of
the obstruction.
 MEASUREMENT OF RAINFALL

Raingauge can be broadly classified into two categories

NON-RECORDING GAUGES Symon's Gauge

RECORDING GAUGES Tippping Bucket Type

Weighing Bucket Type

Natural Syphon Type

 SYMON'S
Water contained in the receiving vessel is
GAUGE measured by a suitably graduated
measuring glass with an accuracy up to
0.1 mm

The rainfall is measured everyday at 8:30

AM (IST) and is recorded as the rainfall of
that day.

The receiving bottle normally does not

hold more than 10 cm of rain.

NON-RECORDING GAUGE
 TIPPING The catch from the funnel falls onto one of
BUCKET a pair of small buckets.
When 0.25 mm of rainfall collects in one
bucket, it tips and bring the other one in
position.
The tipping actuates an electrically driven
pen to trace a record on clockwork driven
chart.
When two air masses meet , they do not
The mix
water collected
readily on the bucket
due to differences in exit
from drain hole.
temperature and density . A front is an
Then imaginary
the water line
collected in a two
separating storage can.
contrasting air masses .

RECORDING GAUGE
 WEIGHING
BUCKET The catch from the funnel empties into a
bucket mounted on a weighing scale.

Its contents recorded on a Clockwork

driven chart.

The clockwork mechanism has the

capacity to run for as long as one week.

RECORDING GAUGE
 NATURAL
SYPHON The rainfall collected causing the float to
rise.
A pen attached to the float records the
elevation on a rotating drum driven by a
Clockwork mechanism.
A syphon empties the chamber by a
syphonic action.
It is adopted as the standard recording type
rain gauge in India.

RECORDING GAUGE
FACTORS WHICH AFFECT THE
AMOUNT OF THE RAINFALL

1. Latitude 5. Frontal Activity

2. Temperature 6. Differential Heating
3. Moisture 7. Mountain Barriers
4. Air Masses 8. Distribution of Land & Water
 REFERENCE:
• Raj Sumit. 2018. Rainfall. Department of Civil Engineering. Institute of Technology
& Management Gorakhpur
• Essentials of Meteorology, C. Donald Ahrens
• WMO Official Website
THANK YOU