Rain gauges

Rain gauges are one of the most critical elements of an early warning system, providing the first intelligence of rainfall reaching the ground. Rain gauges are varied, and their method for reporting rainfall varies according to the environmental conditions (e.g. terrain) and the purpose of collection. For water resources applications, collection of data every day may suffice. For flash flood forecasting applications, data is required in real-time to provide the optimum time for a community to react to a flood warning.

Wight Water has installed over 50 rain gauges, most to the specifications of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, reporting in real-time. The modes of communication range from satellite or 3G/4G telemetry to UHF or VHF radio.