Precipitation composed of liquid water drops more than 0.5 mm in diameter, failing in relatively straight, but not necessarily vertical, paths. Compare to drizzle.

Instrument for measuring the depth of water from precipitation that is assumed to be distributed over a horizontal, impervious surface and not subject to evaporation.

A device which surrounds a rain gauge and acts to maintain horizontal flow in the vicinity of the funnel so that the catch will not be influenced by eddies generated near the gauge. See Alter shield, Nipher shield, Wild fence.

An instrument which measures the instantaneous rate at which rain is falling on a given surface. Also called a rate-of-rainfall gauge.

Any one of a family of circular arcs consisting of concentric colored bands, arranged from red on the inside to blue on the outside, which may be seen on a "sheet" of water drops (rain, fog, spray). The most common of the many possible is the primary rain ...

An instrument which automatically determines the size distribution of raindrops.

The angle of a vessel's masts from the vertical.

Random Access Memory. The memory of a computer which can be read and written into at any location without passing through preceding locations.

A cone-tipped metal rod designed to be driven downward into deposited snow or firn. The measured amount of force required to drive the rod a given distance is an indication of the physical properties of the snow or firn.

A construction material made by compressing earth in a form; used traditionally in many areas of the world and widely throughout North Africa and the Middle East.

Railroad terminal where containers are received or delivered and trains loaded or discharged. Originally, trailers moved onto the rearmost flatcar via a ramp and driven into position in a technique known as "circus loading." Most modern rail facilities us ...

A movement where the load initiates at an origin rail ramp and terminates at a consignee's door.

A movement of equipment from an origin rail ramp to a destination rail ramp only.

Eluding precise prediction, completely irregular.

The inherent imprecision of a given process of measurement, the unpredictable component of repeated independent measurements of the same object under sensibly uniform conditions.

(1) Sighting two objects in a line to indicate a course to be steered (2) The distance a boat can travel using the fuel stored aboard.

The interval between the lower and upper measuring limits of an instrument, i.e. a thermometer with a range of -35 to 50

The thermodynamic cycle that is an ideal standard for comparing performance of heat-engines, steam power plants, steam turbines, and heat pump systems that use a condensable vapor as the working fluid; efficiency is measured as work done divided by sensib ...

An absolute temperature scale with the degree of the Fahrenheit scale and the zero point of the Kelvin scale. The freezing point of water equals 491.69

Contraction for radiosonde observation.