Observations of Small-Scale Rainfall-Rate Time Variations with Sensitive Rainfall Recording Instruments

A research program involving the study of the attenuation and backscattering by rain of millimeter wavelength radiation has resulted in the requirement for very accurate measurements of rainfall characteristics along paths ranging from 1000 to 2000 ft. A special continuous-wire raingage has been developed which gives an essentially continuous rainfall response by measuring the water level in a cylindrical gage. An accuracy of 0.001 in of rain is obtainable. The responses from two of these gages are compared with those from a number of modified tipping bucket and other gages for several rains in the Austin area.