Precipitation (Rain and Snow) Gauges

Below are checklists of the following types of precipitation (rain and snow) gauges and recipitation-related categtores on postal items (stamps, souvenir sheets, aerogrammes, postal cards, etc.). Catalog numbers, years of issue, and notes on the items featured are given when available. If readers know of additional information or images, please contact the authors using the e-mail addresses at the bottom of this page.

• Precipitation (rain and snow) gauges
• Evaporation pans
• Water-depth gauges
• Snow-depth measurements
• Precipitation amounts

For rainfall/precipitation contours/maps see the other weather maps section of the Weather Maps page.

Country	Catalog Number*	Type of Item**	Year of Issue	Type of Precipitation Measurement
Rain Gauges
Afghanistan	645		1963	Rain gauge with Alter-type wind screen1
Afghanistan	646		1963	Rain gauge with Alter-type wind screen1
Afghanistan	C46	Imperforate	1963	Rain gauge with Alter-type wind screen1
Afghanistan	C50		1963	Rain gauge with Alter-type wind screen1
Angola	862		1993	Recording rain gauge
Belize	972		1991	Rain gauge
Canada	481		1968	Tipping-bucket rain gauge
China (People's Republic)	367-369 fdc	Cancel on FDC	1958	Rain gauge with Alter-type wind screen1
China (People's Republic)	460		1959	Rain gauge with Alter-type wind screen1
China (People's Republic)	1387		1978	Rain gauge
China (People's Republic)	None	Postal card	2003	Rain gauge
China (People's Republic)	None	Postal card	2007	Several rain gauges
Cuba	1591		1971	Rain gauge
Falkland Islands Dependencies	1L50		1980	Rain gauge with wind screen1
Falkland Islands Dependencies	1L50 reissue	1L50 reissued	1985	Rain gauge with wind screen1
French Southern and Antarctic Territories	257k	On stamp and in (right) margin of page from souvenir booklet of 28 (2x (257 (a-n))), also booklet back	1999	Rain gauge
Great Britain (Jersey)	294	Also booklet pane of 4 (294a (2x (293-294)))	1982	Rain gauge
Korea (South)	321		1961	Ancient rain gauge
Korea (South)	321 essay	Adopted essay
Korea (South)	321 fdc1	Stamp and cachet on FDC
Korea (South)	321 fdc2	Stamp on FDC
Korea (South)	321a	Imperforate SS1 (321)
Korea (South)	858		1973	Ancient rain gauge
Korea (South)	858 fdc	Stamp and cancel and cachet on FDC
Korea (South)	858a	MS2 (2x 858)
Korea (South)	1459	One of pair (1459a (1458-1459))	1987	Ancient rain gauge
Malagasy Republic	404		1967	Rain gauge
Malagasy Republic	404 proof	Die proof	1967	Rain gauge
Malagasy Republic	C116		1973	Rain gauge
Mozambique	1103		1989	Rain gauge
Mozambique	1103-1106 fdc	One stamp on FDC
Namibia	693		1991	Rain gauge
New Caledonia	322 fdc	Cachet on FDC	1962	Rain gauge
Nigeria	311 essay	Essay	1973	Rain gauge
Philippines	922		1965	Rain gauge
Philippines	923		1965	Rain gauge
Philippines	924		1965	Rain gauge
Philippines	1069	922 overprinted	1970	Rain gauge
Romania	None	Stamped envelope	1984	Rain gauge
Romania	None	Stamped envelope	1984	Rain gauge(s)
Romania	None	Stamped envelope	1984	Rain gauge (upside-down reflection in sunshine recorder / heliograph)
Romania	None	Stamped envelope	1984	Rain gauges
Romania	None	Stamped envelope	1994	Rain gauge
Russia	2495		1961	Rain gauge
Russia	3860 cov	Cachet on cover	1971	Alter-type wind screen1
Russia	None	Stamped envelope	1976	Three rain gauges, one with Alter-type wind screen1
Slovenia	425 fdc	Cancel on FDC	2000	Rain gauge
Sri Lanka	1234		1998	Rain gauge
Uganda	1195		1994	Rain gauge
Upper Volta	130		1964	Recording rain gauge
Upper Volta	130 proof	Die proof	1964	Recording rain gauge
Vanuatu	565		1992	Rain gauge
Viet Nam (South)	235-238 fdc	Cachet on FDC	1964	Rain gauges
Evaporation Pans
Belize	972		1991	Evaporation pan
China (People's Republic)	None	Postal card	2003	Evaporation pan
Namibia	691		1991	Evaporation pan (upside-down reflection in sunshine recorder / heliograph)
Romania	None	Stamped envelope	1984	Evaporation pan
Romania	None	Stamped envelope	1984	Evapotranspiration studies site
Uganda	1195		1994	Evaporation pan
Viet Nam (South)	235-238 fdc	Cachet on FDC	1964	Evaporation pan
Water-Depth Gauges
Albania	954		1966	Water-depth gauge (dm)
Albania	1209		1969	Water-depth gauge (dm)
Hungary	B252 fdc	Cachet on FDC	1965	Water-depth gauge (cm)
Hungary	B253	In (left) margin of SS1	1965	Four water-depth gauges (cm)
Malagasy Republic	404		1967	Water-depth gauge (dm)
Malagasy Republic	404 proof	Die proof	1967	Water-depth gauge (dm)
Nigeria	207		1967	Levelling a (water-depth) gauge
Nigeria	208		1967	High water-depth record years
Poland	2977		1990	Water-depth gauge (dm)
Poland	2976-2977 fdc	One stamp on FDC
Slovenia	RA30b	One of pair (RA30 (a-b))	2005	Water-depth gauge (dm)
Viet Nam	2339		1992	Water-depth gauge (dm)
Snow-Depth Measurements
Australian Antarctic Territory	L12		1966	Measuring snow strata
Romania	None	Postal card	1998	Measuring snow depth
Russia	None	Stamped envelope	1981	Snow-depth gauge with Alter-type wind screen1
Precipitation Amounts
United States	4066 4066_back	One of MS40 (4072a (4033-4072)), also back	2006	Rainiest spot in the U.S.: Mt. Wai'ale'ale, Kaua'i HI, 400 inches/year (10,000 mm/year)

^*Scott catalog number, unless prefixed with Mi or BL for Michel.
^**FDC = first day cover; SS# = souvenir sheet, MS# = miniature sheet, where # = number of stamps in sheet, and the numbers in parentheses are the catalog numbers of the stamps in the sheet.

¹Rain and snow-depth gauge wind screens are also known as wind shields.

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