Rainfall was the first element accurately measured. It isn't known by whom or where the first rain gauge was used. Nothing more than a bucket and ruler are required. Records show the Greeks kept some rainfall records as early as the 5th. Century B.C.
The rainfall distribution curves can be used to calculate the probabilities of receiving each of the rainfall categories.
rainfall - The amount of precipitation of any type (including the liquid equivalent of frozen hydrometeors); usually taken as that amount measured by means of a rain gauge (thus a small, varying amount of direct condensation is included).
Rainfall Estimates - a series of NEXRAD products that employ a Z-R relationship to produce accumulations of surface rainfall from observed reflectivity.
Range - in radar meteorology, the straight-line distance from the radar ...
RAINFALL The amount of precipitation of any type, primarily liquid. It is usually the amount that is measured by a rain gauge. Related terms: rain and quantitative precipitation ...
Rainfall
The total liquid product of precipitation or condensation from the atmosphere, as received and measured in a rain gauge.
Rear flank downdraft ...
Net Rainfall
In hydrologic terms, the portion of rainfall which reaches a stream channel or the concentration point as direct surface flow.
Neutral Line ...
Net Rainfall The portion of rainfall which reaches a stream channel or the concentration point as direct surface flow.
Rainfall or snowfall from clouds, induced by topographic uplift.
Orographic uplift(6)
The lifting of air over a topographic barrier. Clouds that form in this lifting process are called orographic clouds.
>> Rainfall: Basic requirement: Rainfall amounts are quoted as a depth of water that would result in any one location on a flat surface after a fall of rain, if there were no run-off, evaporation or percolation.
Frontal rainfall occurs at both warm fronts and cold fronts. At a warm front the warm air, being lighter, rides up over the cold air. As it rises it also cools down (adiabatic process).
Critical Rainfall Probability - in hydrologic terms, the probability that a given rainfall will cause a river, or stream to rise above flood stage.
CRS
Console Replacement System for NOAA Weather Radio ...
One-Hour Rainfall Rate (OHP): This WSR-88D radar product displays hourly precipitation total (in inches) as a graphical image. This product is done in polar format with resolution 1.
Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) A joint NASA/NASDA mission planned for launch in 1997. The goal of TRMM is to obtain a minimum of 3 years of climatologically significant observations of rainfall in the tropics.
NCEP Excessive Rainfall Discussion
NOAA National Weather Service - Cite This Source - This Definition
Browse Related Terms: CDB, ETA, Eta Model, GFS, Global Forecast System, MRF, NAM, NGM, NOGAPS, RUC, WAVEWATCH III
QPFHSD - permalink - collapse ...
A sudden, heavy rainfall of a showery nature.
Related term: downburst
COALESCENCE ...
A sudden, intense rainfall that is normally of short duration.
Cloudy Day
At least six eighths of the sky covered with cloud all day ...
Shower- Snowfall or rainfall or brief duration that can either be heavy or light.
Sleet- Precipitation consisting of ice particles formed when raindrops freeze.
Smog- Air pollution caused by a mixture of smoke and fog.
CloudburstA sudden, intense rainfall that is normally of short duration.CloudyCloudy means that clouds cover more than 60 percent of the sky.
It automatically controls the tilt sequence and computes several radar-derived quantities at regular intervals, including VIL, storm tops, accumulated rainfall, etc.
TrainingRepeated areas of rain, typically associated with thunderstorms, that move over the same region in a relatively short period of time and are capable of producing excessive rainfall totals.
Channel InflowIn hydrologic terms, water, which at any instant, is flowing into the channel system form surface flow, subsurface flow, base flow, and rainfall that has directly fallen onto the channel.
Also called a rate-of-rainfall gauge. Rainbow Any one of a family of circular arcs consisting of concentric colored bands, arranged from red on the inside to blue on the outside, which may be seen on a "sheet" of water drops (rain, fog, spray).
FLASH FLOOD A flood that rises and falls quite rapidly with little or no advance warning, usually as the result of intense rainfall over a relatively small area.
Excessive rainfall and flooding occur in the normally dry coastal area of western tropical South America during these events.
Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) - Tropical rainfall exhibits strong variability on time scales shorter than the seasonal El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).
There may be multiple updraft and downdraft segments, highly variable rates of rainfall, and some moderate hail. These systems may last for hours and produce flash flooding or weak tornadoes.
Gulf States and California received excessive rainfall. As the winter approached, forecasters expected excessive rainfall to occur again. Indeed, portions of central and southern California suffered record-breaking rainfall amounts.
Tropical cyclones cover tropical storms and hurricanes, which can have extremely dangerous winds and rainfall.
In general, expresses the rate of transfer per unit area of some condition or physical quantity, such as rainfall, electromagnetic energy, sound, etc. 2. (Or radiant intensity.) Radiant power per unit solid angle; in SI units, W sr−1. 3.
Drought - A period when a region has a lack of rainfall. Droughts can affect a fairly small area for a season or an entire continent for years. Too little rainfall can cause shortages in the water supply, destroy crops, and cause widespread hunger.
Flash Flood - A flood which is caused by heavy or excessive rainfall in a short period of time, generally under 6 hours, leading to water that rises and falls quite rapidly.
The time before actual hurricane eye landfall within which evacuation cannot be carried out because of earlier effects, such as the inundation of evacuation routes from the storm surge or rainfall and the arrival of sustained gale force wins.
Doppler Radar- radar that determines the intensity of rainfall and velocities of water and air particles; the National Weather Service uses a type of Doppler Radar called the WSR-88D, or NEXRAD; ...
Rain Gauge - An instrument used to measure rainfall amounts.
Reflectivity - Radar term referring to the ability of a radar target to return energy; used to estimate precipitation intensity and rainfall rates.
Rain Gauge - An instrument used to measure rainfall amounts.
Rainbow - Optical phenomena when light is refracted and reflected by moisture in the air into concentric arcs of color.
A tipping bucket rain gauge has several components that allow it to accurately measure of rainfall. As rain falls it lands in the funnel of the tipping bucket rain gauge.
Orographic precipitation
Rainfall or snowfall from clouds, induced by topographic uplift.
P
Permafrost
A layer of soil beneath the earth's surface that remains frozen throughout the year.
CLOUDBURST A sudden, heavy rainfall of a showery nature. Related term: downburst
COALESCENCE The merging of two water drops into a single larger drop.
ISOHYET- A line of equal rainfall.
ISOHYPSE- A line of constant geopotential height (height contour).
ISOPLETH- A line of a constant meteorological value.
ISOHYET- A line of equal rainfall.
ISOLATED - Showers covering less than 15 percent of an area.
ISOPLETH- A line of a constant meteorological value.
FLASH FLOOD: A flood that occurs within a few hours (usually less than six) of heavy or excessive rainfall, dam or levee failure.
FLOOD: High flow, overflow or inundation of a normally dry area which causes or threatens damage.
Associated with heavy rainfall in those regions, and also affects weather patterns in North America as well. Usually begins to occur around Christmas, and is so named for El Niño, the Spanish name for the Christ Child.
Isohyet - A line connecting places having equal rainfall.
Isotherm - A line connecting points of equal air temperature. ITCZ See Intertropical Convergence Zone.
Rain Gauge: Instrument to measure the accumulated amount of rainfall in a certain period of time.
Theta-e Ridge - An axis of relatively high values of theta-e. Severe weather and excessive rainfall often occur near or just upstream from a theta-e ridge.
Tipping-bucket rain gauge A device that collects rainfall in increments of 0.01 in. by containers that alternately fill, tip and empty.
Flash flood: a sudden and destructive rush of water down a narrow gully or over a sloping surface, caused by heavy rainfall.
Flow: 1. wind; 2. volume of air carried by wind.
Climate - The general or average weather conditions of a certain region, including tempurature, rainfall, and wind.
A national forecast center in Norman, Oklahoma, which is part of NCEP. The SPC is responsible for providing short-term forecast guidance for severe convection, excessive rainfall (flash flooding) and severe winter weather over the contiguous United ...
Flood Warning- This warning signifies a longer duration and more gradual flooding of counties, communities, streams, or urban areas. Floods usually begin after 6 hours of excessive rainfall.
Reflectivity - Radar term referring to the ability of a radar target to return energy; used to derive echo intensity, and to estimate precipitation intensity and rainfall rates. See dBZ, VIP.
Post-storm Report: A report issued by a local National Weather Service office summarizing the impact of a tropical cyclone on its forecast area. These reports include information on observed winds, pressures, storm surges, rainfall, tornadoes, ...
(or set of programs) which is designed to systematically solve a certain kind of problem. WSR-88D radars (NEXRAD) employ algorithms to analyze radar data and automatically determine storm motion, probability of hail, VIL, accumulated rainfall, ...
Recording rain gauges measure precipitation rates over fixed time intervals to provide an indication of rainfall intensity . Essentially all gauges are calibrated in units of depth of accumulation, e.g., millimeters or inches.
The more common term rainfall is also used in this total sense to include not only amounts of rain, but also the water equivalents of frozen precipitation. For obvious reasons, precipitation is the preferred general term.
rain gageA device, usually a cylindrical container, for measuring rainfall.rawinsondeA radiosonde that is tracked to measure winds.reflectionThe process whereby a surface turns back a portion of the radiation that strikes it.
 See also: Water, Weather, Air, Precipitation, Surface
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