Spyderman - it was a mortal crime in the Bureau if you didn't remove the measure to check it even in a severe drought. Couple of reasons for this = check the funnel is clean and hole is open, check measure is clean and most importantly to measure dew which can form in the severest of droughts and is measured as 'precipitation (annoted as dew). Generally it is only a 'trace' but sometimes 0.2mm or greater if a fog was present.

Good Luck.

All over Spyderman. Just driven through rural NSW and am in Central Queensland and the place is so dry as far as you can see. Everyone's crying out for rain, not just a shower but a long spell of consistent rain that will do more than settle the dust. Despite this, the government doesn't think some of these places are drought affected, buggered if I can understand that.

Dave

Spydermann wrote:

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I worked for the CSIRO for a year in a previous life and was on a weekly roster to take all the observations and phone them thru the the Met Bureau. And launch balloons for air analysis. Dew point, evaporation, precipitation, wet & dry bulb thermometers, cloud types etc. were all terms I knew and worked with. Other than a rain gauge & thermometer, I've forgotten all the other bits. And of course, clean equipment.

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 I did much the same as a OIC of a (one man) Technician's Station when working for the good old PMG ... circa 1961.