How Is Rainfall Measured?

How is rainfall measured? What does it mean when it rains an inch? And how many gallons of water fall on your roof in a storm? Keep on reading to learn all about the math behind April showers and May flowers

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You know the old saying about April showers bringing May flowers? Well, it looks like that ain't happening in my neck of the California woods this year. In fact, we're entrenched in a rather undrenched rut—it's hardly rained at all this season, and thus far April has been a complete shut-out.

But there's always hope that things may yet turn around and bring us those proverbial April showers and May flowers. And although I may be living through a dryer than usual April, I'm sure that many of you have been enjoying inches and inches of rain. 

Which might make you wonder: What does it mean when it rains an inch? How is rainfall measured? How can you measure it yourself? And how much rain falls on your roof in a big storm? Those are exactly the questions we'll be talking about today.


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