AcuRite 5" Capacity Easy-to-Read Magnifying Rain Gauge, Acrylic (00850A3)

I know that I could put empty tin cans in the yard to measure rainfall, but that’s so cumbersome. First you have to find a tall straight-walled can, tall enough that the rain doesn’t splash out. Then you have to stick a ruler in the can to measure the depth of water. That’s not very accurate compared to this because in this rain gauge the smaller amounts are amplified by the tapered walls so a small amount of rainfall is magnified to be more easily read. And if it’s still raining, you don’t have to go out in the rain because if you place it where it can be seen from a window you can probably read the level with your bare eyes (if you have good eyes and it’s not too far away). Or, grab a pair of binoculars. Be sure to place the rain gauge in the open, away from interference by tree canopies. I measure the total rainfall for each weather event coming through, then reset the gauge – don’t forget to reset the gauge (pour the water out). I have always wanted a rain gauge and finally sat down to evaluate what was available. This one was priced attractively, looked like it would be easy to read from a distance (it is), and would probably last a few years. I was concerned that the plastic spike would easily break off, so I had planned to use two screws in a narrow piece of sharpened board driven into the ground so I could attach the gauge to the board and remove it easily to dump the water, but I never did that and the plastic spike hasn’t broken off yet. I do try to be careful when sticking it in the ground, however. My only complaint is that it measures only 5 inches, which may not be enough (see my experience below). But I can’t down rate it for that unusual situation, and it does everything else right. I bought this exactly one year ago and the plastic is still clear, but I assume ultraviolet light will eventually take its toll. This a great purchase. In fact, I’ve enjoyed having it so much that I plan to give out this rain gauge as Christmas presents. It’s always difficult to find a present which most people don’t have, but could use and would enjoy having. I think this will make a great, and fairly unusual gift. Thoughtful, yet inexpensive. The weatherman always reports how much rain fell at this airport, that airport, etc. But I know that the sky could fall at my brother's house just a few miles away, and we get not a drop. So I've always wanted to have a way to know exactly how much rain WE got. The only time I really, really wanted to know was during the deluge we got in South Carolina (remember the 1000+ year flood of Oct 2015?). Two measurements taken the first day, added together, totaled 6.5 inches. I dumped the water out just before going to bed, then woke up early the next morning to check the gauge. It had been raining heavily all night and I wanted to know exactly how much we got, but was astonished and disappointed to see that the water was flowing over the brim of the rain gauge while it was continuing to rain heavily. We were supposedly in an area that got some of the heaviest rainfall. We're on a hill so were in no danger of flooding, but sadly I'll never know the exact total amount of the rain we got at our house. I guess you could say the historic rainfall "broke" my rain gauge.

Easy to use and read as the water makes a great magnification for easy reading even from a distance. Much better price much easier to use than the last two that I bought from my local Home Depot that were almost three times the price and didn't last more than a season. I look forward to getting at least a few or she said of this easily. And it won't be a big deal to replace after it ages due to sun exposure Etc because again sold it a great price. Has a good size too so you don't have to empty it so much. All in all this was a fantastic purchase that we are pleased with.

the only reason I do not give this a 5 star is because it doesn't hold up well in the winter months but the price is reasonable enough to buy another one when it cracks. It is very easy to read with big numbers

Inexpensive but very functional! I would buy it again.

Help up good until i forgot to empty it and it froze. I ordered another just like it

I mounted this gauge on a yard fence. It can be read from inside the house at about 20 feet distance. Its measurements are consistent with online weather information and with those of the same model number gauge installed in a neighbor's yard. Sturdy construction. Mounts with two screws or just stuck in the ground. The magnifying feature created by the curved surface and the water inside is effective.

Love the size. Easy to read buy them all the time as gifts

update #2, 2/17/25 (down to 3* now): Well, it happened again. As amazon reminds me atop this webpage, I've now bought this rain gauge FIVE times since 2017 (when we moved to rain country). ... I did remember my self-message in my last update (below) to never leave it out in an ice storm, but now I learn that much less than an ice storm can cause the gauge to crack and leak. All we had was 1" or so of 'winter mix' snowfall last week with temps around freezing, no 'storm' at all, just routine winter, and snow fell into the gauge and apparently froze overnight and we woke up to it cracked and leaking. This time i'm adding a photo and a Columbo-ilke detection of where the culprit lies - in bad manufacturing and/or design that keeps breaking at the same place in each gauge i've bought. Because it is otherwise a great gauge, easily readable across the patio from inside the kitchen window, i keep overriding Einstein's mantra ("Insanity is ...") and thinking there must be exceptions but alas ... Notice in the photo where you can see the cracking at below the 1/2' line on the gauge on its left side - same place it's cracked and leaked each time. Apparently there's no reason why such a gauge should have to be welded at all, it could be produced in a mold so as to be one seamless piece of plastic and avoid these frailties that have now made me invest in it 5 times. What's a rain gauge if you have to take it in every winter for months i guess to keep it from cracking and becoming useless?? To the Manufacturer: Stop making your plastic the way you do! Find a way to make it one piece, no welding, no seams. update Aug 2024 (down to 4*): Surprised to find i'd already reviewed this as reviewing is rare for me. I've just now bought my 3rd one of these because hope springs eternal. I still see it as a great gauge UNTIL an ice storm hits. I tried the techniques advised here after my 1st one shattered/imploded/cracked in an ice storm in early 2023. That technique obviously didn't work because we had it shatter in an ice storm in Jan '24 and only got one year's use out of it i now realize. The TRICK (we will hopefully remember) is: DON"T LEAVE THIS OUT IN AN ICE STORM. TAKE IT INSIDE. earlier review: We've tried several gauges of varying types and this one, bought here in 2017, was my favorite by far - stuck in a medium size pot of soil sitting on the patio outside the kitchen window, it makes for easy reading from inside. However, we've now learned the hard way that there's a precaution you have to take if you ever have freezing temps: We had an ice storm here in January, which I didn't even think about breaking the gauge until I realized after that it kept saying 1" of rain despite new rains happening ... I see Q&As now posted in the interim since I bought ours here with one suggestion from Tom Terry in 2019 that sounds reliable (as he learned to do it for a government job reading lots of gauges) and worth trying that will simply convert it from a 5" gauge to a 4" gauge: "Add some antifreeze then a thin layer of mineral oil to each gauge which equaled one inch on the gauge. Then i had no freezing and no evaporation between reading..." I was back here for the same one again and giving it still 5* even before seeing that advice but now I feel ready to get 10+ years out of it instead of five :-)

As described, very easy to see and definitely recommend this.

After only a few months the paint started coming off. It was just mounted stationary, no movement.

Good product. Easy to read. Sturdy. Happy with purchase.

It's good

I know this product from when I lived in America. It has a magnifying effect so the numbers are easy to read. It holds 5 ins, which is a lot more than most gauges. Since it’s from America, it is quite expensive, but worth it.