What is a tipping bucket rain gauge, and how does it work?

When searching for a weather station or a rain gauge, you might see the term ‘tipping bucket rain gauge’ often appear …what does it mean?

“Tipping bucket” refers to the mechanism that certain rain gauges deploy to measure precipitation at any given time. A tipping bucket rain gauge is the most common type available and is known to produce accurate and reliable results. So how do they work?

The most basic tipping bucket rain gauges will consist of:

1. A funnel to direct the water into the buckets.
2. Two connected buckets
3. A pivot point between the buckets to enable them to tip
4. Calibration screws or stop sensors to record each dip; and
5. Drainage holes to remove recorded rain.

Figure 1: A labelled cross-section of a tipping bucket rain gauge. Showing the basic features required to obtain rainfall data.

How they work

1. When it is raining, water will fall into the funnel located at the top of the rain gauge.
2. The funnel will direct the water into the top of the two tipping buckets.
3. The tipping bucket will have a water limit defined by the manufacturer or operator. Once the collected water reaches the predefined limit, the bucket will tip and hit the calibration/stop screw.
4. As this happens, the second bucket is lifted and starts to fill. The process of filling and tipping will continue as it rains.
5. As the buckets pivot and hit the stop/calibration screws, a switch is activated, and the rain information recorded electronically. The device will count the number of times the switch is triggered, and because it already knows how much rain is needed to fill each bucket, the sensor calculates and displays the correct amount of precipitation.

Examples of tipping bucket rain gauges

The Instrument Choice scientist team has compiled some representative examples of tipping bucket rain gauges. The examples below include a budget-friendly option, a modern design, and a precision device that’s popular with professionals.

Digital Rain Gauge with Temperature 

This budget-friendly rain gauge measures rainfall and transmits data via radio frequency to a console. Easily view and analyse the records of rainfall from the hourly rate to daily, weekly, monthly and yearly totals.

NETATMO Rain Gauge for the Weather Station 

With a sleek modern design, the Netatmo Rain Gauge is an attachment to the Netatmo Urban Weather Station. Track rain rates and totals precisely all from a mobile app.

Aerocone Rain Collector 

With a streamlined design to prevent inaccuracies from wind turbulence, this rain gauge is perfect for professional use. The gauge is designed to be used with Vantage Pro2 or Vantage Vue consoles or as a standalone instrument if purchased with a sensor transmitter kit.

Conclusion

A tipping bucket rain gauge is a relatively simple mechanism used to measure rainfall. It is the most common variety of rain gauge due to its ease of use and reliability. Great for use in stable and unobscured locations.

Find a tipping bucket rain gauge to suit your needs on the Instrument Choice Website. If you already have a tipping bucket rain gauge and need some setup tips, read our article '5 Tips for setting up your tipping bucket rain gauge.'

If you have any questions about rain gauges, contact one of our gun scientists on 1300 737 871 or email customer-service@instrumentchoice.com.au.