Customer Reviews

Stratus RG202 Long Term Professional Rain and Snow Gauge

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This gauge is easy to use, is accurate (if sited properly) and does not cost a small fortune. :) It is hard plastic, and is made for both rain and snow (inner tube and funnel need to come out if using for snow). This same type of rain & snow gauge is what CoCoRaHS uses.

For those that wonder how to take rain measurement, here ya go:

Once the inner tube fills up with rain, then it automatically overflows into the larger tube. The inner tube measures 1" in increments of tenths. If it rains more than that, then the larger tube will start to fill up. If wanting to measure it, just empty the inner tube (we know already that at least 1" fell), now pour the water from larger tube into smaller tube and measure that also. Keep pouring out small tube when full and repeat the measuring. The whole thing has capacity for 11-inches.

When measuring the inner (smaller) tube, there will probably be what looks like a curve/bubble on top of the water, it's normal, but you want to take measurement from the bottom of curve/bubble (or meniscus as it is called), if you need better accuracy in measurements.

The Stratus Rain Gauge is the one that the National Weather Service sends out to graduates of the NWS Skywarn observer training program. Got mine that way.

It isn't the easiest to read,especially over 1" where you have to decant the overflow volume into the central 1" graduate but it is very accurate as long as it is placed properly, out in the open. The price is right too.

This unit is exactly what the backyard weather watcher needs. It is simple to use and records to the hundredth of an inch. I have used one for years in the Ozarks in all seasons. It affords accurate measure of rain, snow, and ice. I can recommend this brand without reservation.

This is a acceptable rain gauge for the National Weather Service. This is very easy to read and can handle even the greatest down pours up to 11 inches. I have had an over 6 inch rain fall in a 24 hour period and any other rain gauge would have over flowed. the 4 inch diameter will give much more accurate readings then the smaller diameter opening gauges.

I really like my gauge, however if you ever experience 30+ mph winds, you'll have to go looking for the top of the gauge. It will blow off. I finally had to tape mine on.

Having used this device for daily record keeping nearly three years, it has proven to be a sturdy and dependable tool, particularly for measuring rain. In our windy mountain area it misses some snowfall due to wind. Be sure to remove the inner tube for the cold season, otherwise frozen precip. will break it.

When I wanted a rain gauge I consulted my father, a retired weatherman, in the purchase. His own gauge of several years was in need of replacement so we ordered two of these after he had evaluated those available through Amazon. They look almost identical to the one he already had but have one improvement he remarked upon. There is a raised ring in the inside center of the outer cynlinder that allows for easy placement of the smaller cylinder when reassemling the gauge after dumping accumulated water.

I first got this type of rain gauge years ago from my son, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. They are official gauges used by weather spotters. They are very easy to mount and to read.

The only drawback is that after 5 years or so of use in our area in southern Arizona, the intense sunlight begins to dry out the plastic making it somewhat difficult to read through the outer tube. It is for that reason I once again find it now time to replace mine. But the price is reasonable and I wouldn't use anything else. I imagine that in areas with less intense heat and sunshine it would last much longer.

I received this product and it was better than I expected. I am using it to measure precipitation amounts and to collect samples for laboratory analysis. Its large size allows for easy viewing of rainfall amounts from a distance and also for collection of adequate sample volumes even if the rainfall event is small, such as less than 0.3 inches. This product is manufactured using high quality materials and it is definitely professional grade. I would highly recommend this product to others interested in measuring precipitation and collecting associated samples.

This unit replaced an earlier purchase of a gage (since returned) that had coarse 1/4" delineations. The Stratus that now sits on my fence is pro quality all the way. It reads to .01" due to the greatly expanded scale and is made of an (apparently) tough plastic. Mounts easily with the 3 screws included.