How is an inch of rain measured? Same goes for snow. 5 inches of snow? What’s the width, or height, or shape of this inch?

Question

How is an inch of rain measured? Same goes for snow. 5 inches of snow? What’s the width, or height, or shape of this inch?

In: Earth Science

Answer 1

This one’s real simple: they have collectors that are basically just graduated cylinders on a stick. The measurement is just the vertical measurement: one inch of snow or rain means that if you stick a container out on a flat surface, the rain will fill it 1 inch deep.