How is freezing rain measured

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Rivers and Lakes. Climate and Past Weather. Freezing Rain and Sleet. Current Weather. Forecast Maps. Hour by Hour Forecast. Winter Weather. Graphical Hazards. Air Quality. Forecast Discussion. If freezing rain is anticipated, it may be a good idea to remove the gauge from its' bracket and set it securely on the ground.

Warm water can be used to melt the ice on the bracket to free the gauge, if necessary. There is no perfect fast way to melt the ice inside and along the rim of your gauge. You only want the ice that has accumulated inside the beveled rim of your gauge to end up in your measurement for the day.

Bring the gauge inside and let the ice melt. Adding a measured amount of warm water to the inside of the gauge can hasten the melt, if necessary. Use of microwaves to melt the ice inside the gauge is not recommended as we do not know who well these gauges hold up to microwaves.

If you can afford it, winter is the time to splurge and get a second gauge. You can order extra outer cylinders from the company that makes them up in Minnesota. There is a parts list inside your rain gauge box. It is really great to be able to bring in one gauge and set out another so you don't have to rush melting and measuring the precipitation.

I've heard from a few of you, that you've collected three or even four gauges to make winter measurements, including core sample measurements, quicker and easier.

In the event of freezing rain, there is a very useful measurement that you can make. All you need are your eyes and a simple ruler. Engineers for utility companies, power transmission lines, communications towers, etc need to be able to compute the weight of ice buildup so they can better design and build structures to withstand heavy ice loads.

Straight twigs and fence wires provide good surfaces for radial ice thickness measurements. News Headlines. Customize Your Weather. Privacy Policy. Current Hazards. Local Radar. Rivers and Lakes. Climate and Past Weather. How to Measure Ice from Freezing Rain Ice accumulation from freezing rain does not coat the surface of objects evenly. Weather Story. Weather Map. Follow us on Twitter. Follow us on Facebook.