how to make a rain gauge with a water bottle

[1] X Research source Parental supervision may be necessary for younger children when cutting the bottle.

Bess Ruff is a Geography PhD student at Florida State University. "It was great, I needed it for a science project." Get an adult to help as the edges might be sharp.

Make one and put it out. "It helped me with my science class project!!" If you'd like to keep track of how much rainfall you're getting, you can either buy a rain gauge or make one for yourself. You could make a simple barometer and learn about Air Pressure. "This article has helped me on how make a rain gauge locally using the available resources. Get an adult to help as the edges might be sharp. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. We put the markings on a spoon as they could lift them out to check, which was easier for themMy son would so want to do this! If it overflows, make a another with a larger bottle. Or look at weather records for your area and pick a bottle with a slightly larger capacity. Step 3) Fill the bottom of the bottle with sand or gravel up to where the walls are straight.

"This article helped my 7-year-old make a rain gauge.

Rain doesn't fall uniformly over the area. You only need a few simple materials and a small amount of time. I had a last minute crisis, and this helped out a lot." That’s how much rain has fallen in the last day! Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 339,722 times. Step 2) Cut the top off the bottle where the walls are straight. Very easy instructions.

Be sure to remove the paper label completely. No, the bottle is made of flimsy plastic that will likely just melt if you attempt to heat it. This type of rain gauge is useful for a relative comparison / contrast of one rain event to another for your yard. Peel the label off of a plastic bottle.

Try comparing the amount of rain to the length of time the shower lasted, was it a short and heavy rain shower or a long and light one?If you want to get serious you can graph the rainfall over weeks or even months, this is especially interesting if the place you live experiences varying seasons where sometimes it is very dry and other times it is very wet. Scroll down to the bottom of the article to the "Things You'll Need" section.

Don’t forget to record the results and empty it every […][…] Use a rain gauge to measure how much rain has fallen. A rain gauge is an instrument used to record the amount of rainfall. Meredith Juncker is a PhD candidate in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center.

Leave the top sticking out. Fill your measuring cup with 1 cup of water. It depends on the size of the bottle and the intensity of the rain event. Follow the Read More link for more information. Place the cut-off part of the bottle upside down inside the bottle and tape it in place to make a funnel. "This article helped my 7-year-old make a rain gauge. Very easy instructions. How many pebbles am l going to need to place inside the gauge? Until it rains, but don't leave it out too long after that, because you don't want the water to evaporate. You can retrieve it at the end of the rain event. We did a bottle outdoors to see how much rain… it filled all the way up. Cut just beneath where the bottle begins to narrow. This article was co-authored by Bess Ruff, MA. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. I wouldn't recommend using a milk carton since it's opaque, which means you can't see through it. *One Day* I will make a WHOLE weather station with the kids…Always finding something interesting on your site- love it! By using our site, you agree to our

directions and steps to follow when carrying out this experiment. How much rain is really falling when you watch a heavy shower through the window of your home? "I'd love to view more such helpful articles like this and further be inspired. " A simple rain gauge can be built at home using a plastic bottle and a ruler.