Do you talk about the amount of rain that falls?

@JudyEv (342164)
Rockingham, Australia
February 7, 2021 7:40am CST
Australia is a dry country with much of it uninhabitable because of the lack of water and the high temperatures. Australians often talk about how much rain has fallen overnight or for the week or whatever. Most farmers have rain gauges and take a keen interest in the rainfall, recording it meticulously. We had a very unseasonal 3 inches of rain overnight. When we talked to our son in Ireland, we mentioned this and asked whether they measured rain in inches or millimetres. He didn’t really know and said people didn’t seem to talk about how much rain they did or didn’t get. I know American myLotters often talk about how many inches of snow they get so my question is: Do people talk about the amount of rain they get in your country, and if so, do they use inches or millimetres? Photo is of a very wet roo trying to shelter behind a blackboy/grass tree.
23 people like this
22 responses
@LadyDuck (472078)
• Switzerland
7 Feb 21
We talk about the rain, to complain if it rains two days in a row and to complain if it does not rain during a full week in summer. It is raining for the third day...
3 people like this
@LadyDuck (472078)
• Switzerland
7 Feb 21
@JudyEv Most of the time it is the first subject when you meet the neighbors.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342164)
• Rockingham, Australia
7 Feb 21
The weather and rain, or lack thereof, are good fall-back subjects in conversation too, aren't they?
2 people like this
@DocAndersen (54402)
• United States
7 Feb 21
i do! but, you knew that before you asked!
3 people like this
@JudyEv (342164)
• Rockingham, Australia
7 Feb 21
That's true. I should have put an exclusion paragraph. lol
1 person likes this
@DocAndersen (54402)
• United States
7 Feb 21
@JudyEv or a need to know stamp!
1 person likes this
@msdivkar (23359)
• India
8 Feb 21
We do keep records of rainfall we get. This record is kept for many years. This was measured in inches before now it is all in millimetres Our area gets on an average 120 inches of rain every year..
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@msdivkar (23359)
• India
9 Feb 21
@JudyEv We are close to sea and there is mountain range running parallel to sea coast some 60 kms away. This is ideal location for plenty of rain. It is spread over 5 months from June to October.
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@msdivkar (23359)
• India
9 Feb 21
@JudyEv Yes clouds are obstructed by the mountain range and it rains in the windward side of the mountains. The other side of the mountains which is called as leeward side therefore gets very scant rainfall. Near the mountains this rainfall is about 250 inches.
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@JudyEv (342164)
• Rockingham, Australia
9 Feb 21
@msdivkar So the clouds drop their rain as they climb up over the mountains maybe. I think we learnt about that in school - but it was a long time ago. lol
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@DaddyEvil (137602)
• United States
7 Feb 21
Rain is in inches and smaller divisions of inches here. I'm in the middle of the continental US. And no, we don't usually talk about how much rain we get. We get it usually one or two days a week, so it just is. *shrug* We do talk about how much snow we get because a good snowfall means no school for the kids, so you have to figure out what you're going to do with them while you go to work, and sometimes no work, if you live a more than a few miles from your job.
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (137602)
• United States
7 Feb 21
@JudyEv Dad might have worried about it when I was a kid, but if so, I don't remember it.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342164)
• Rockingham, Australia
7 Feb 21
Our farmers and just about anyone concerned with the land has a very keen interest in the rainfall.
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (108196)
• Marion, Ohio
7 Feb 21
We use inches for the rain also. It depends on the year it seems for talking about it. More talk if we are not getting enough or getting enough to cause floods
2 people like this
@JudyEv (342164)
• Rockingham, Australia
7 Feb 21
It's so vital in Australia, just about everyone talks about it.
1 person likes this
@BHolopaw (176)
• Orlando, Florida
7 Feb 21
The news anchors mention how many inches, but us common folk who work in it only worry about whether it is going to rain or not and what time is it going to fall..
2 people like this
@JudyEv (342164)
• Rockingham, Australia
7 Feb 21
Fair enough. When we meet a neighbour, our first question might be 'How much rain did you get?' lol
1 person likes this
@BHolopaw (176)
• Orlando, Florida
7 Feb 21
@JudyEv The amount that falls doesn't really matter to me on a typical day. I am more concerned about what time is the front going to pass so I can plan ahead. It rains almost every day here in the summer. The showers typically last an hour or less.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342164)
• Rockingham, Australia
7 Feb 21
@BHolopaw Most of our rain is in winter - June to August - but we do get showers at other times and the odd thunderstorm in summer. That's just our little area of course, not the whole of Australia.
1 person likes this
@allknowing (137818)
• India
8 Feb 21
I think it is normal to talk about the behaviour of rain but it is not measured. While on holiday in Australia I did experience rain when the sun was shining and I did not have the umbrella (lol)
1 person likes this
@allknowing (137818)
• India
8 Feb 21
@JudyEv I wonder too!!
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@JudyEv (342164)
• Rockingham, Australia
8 Feb 21
We call those 'sunshine showers'. It's strange, isn't it, to have rain when the sun is shining. I wonder where it comes from.
1 person likes this
@Aquitaine24 (11813)
• San Jose, California
8 Feb 21
We do because we don’t get enough.
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@Aquitaine24 (11813)
• San Jose, California
8 Feb 21
@JudyEv We had snow on Mount Hamilton but it is already melted after a couple days.
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@JudyEv (342164)
• Rockingham, Australia
8 Feb 21
@Aquitaine24 Does your area get an assured rainfall?
@JudyEv (342164)
• Rockingham, Australia
8 Feb 21
That is what it's like in Australia. Many of us are always anxiously waiting for it to rain.
@RebeccasFarm (90474)
• Arvada, Colorado
7 Feb 21
I do..and here we badly need rain.
1 person likes this
• Arvada, Colorado
8 Feb 21
@JudyEv Yes it would do
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@JudyEv (342164)
• Rockingham, Australia
7 Feb 21
In our region, rainfall is assured although it can be more or less. If it's not 'assured', it becomes very, very important.
1 person likes this
@DianneN (247184)
• United States
7 Feb 21
In the US we only talk about snow accumulation in inches or feet. Rain only if one lives in flood zones I think.
1 person likes this
@DianneN (247184)
• United States
8 Feb 21
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@JudyEv (342164)
• Rockingham, Australia
7 Feb 21
Another interesting difference between our countries.
1 person likes this
@HazySue (39268)
• Gouverneur, New York
7 Feb 21
They do when there is a danger of drought or flooding. I have heard the talk in inches. Poor little kangeroo.
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@JudyEv (342164)
• Rockingham, Australia
7 Feb 21
This is the yearling joey. His Mum was hiding behind a low wall.
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@HazySue (39268)
• Gouverneur, New York
11 Feb 21
@JudyEv He is such a cutie.
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@CarolDM (203422)
• Nashville, Tennessee
7 Feb 21
Yes we do talk about rainfall. Measured in inches. Especially the farmers that depend on it. Cute photo.
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@JudyEv (342164)
• Rockingham, Australia
7 Feb 21
Rain is vital to farmers and certainly isn't 'assured' in Australia. We chose this area as, even if rainfall is down, there is never a real drought.
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@JudyEv (342164)
• Rockingham, Australia
7 Feb 21
@CarolDM We both grew up in an area where we were always watching the clouds anxiously hoping for some rain so this suits us nicely.
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@CarolDM (203422)
• Nashville, Tennessee
7 Feb 21
@JudyEv That is good you don't have droughts there.
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@LowRiderX (22903)
• Serbia
8 Feb 21
@JudyEv Often we are talking here in millimeters. I love the photo
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@JudyEv (342164)
• Rockingham, Australia
10 Feb 21
@LowRiderX Yes, once you are used to one way, it can be hard to get really fluent with another.
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@JudyEv (342164)
• Rockingham, Australia
8 Feb 21
We talk in millimetres here too. But I still tend to convert back to inches as that's what I grew up with. Glad you like the photo.
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@LowRiderX (22903)
• Serbia
10 Feb 21
@JudyEv It was funny to me because it was like you heard what was being talking here. I tried a couple of times but inches confuse me. A matter of habit I would say
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@macayada (1497)
• Cavite City, Philippines
8 Feb 21
We have updates most especially during rainy season because of evacuation alert.
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@JudyEv (342164)
• Rockingham, Australia
8 Feb 21
You would get very much more rain than we do. So you get floods there sometimes?
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@JudyEv (342164)
• Rockingham, Australia
9 Feb 21
@macayada I would hate to have a house that flooded. It must take ages to get it clean again.
@macayada (1497)
• Cavite City, Philippines
8 Feb 21
@JudyEv Yes, during rainy season there are places that flood level reaches up to rooftop of even 3-floor house. There are beautiful houses that were not affected before but now also go below the height of water.
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@GardenGerty (160978)
• United States
7 Feb 21
We talk about it, and we talk in inches. And we talk about it when we do not get it as well.
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@JudyEv (342164)
• Rockingham, Australia
8 Feb 21
That sounds like us. I'm used to inches from the 'old' days but I've got to know cms pretty well now too.
@snowy22315 (182204)
• United States
8 Feb 21
Not usually unless maybe they are farmers. I do have a gizmo in the front though that measures rainfall. I don't pay that much attention to it, unless I look to see if it is full or not. Of course rain is a frequent occurence here.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342164)
• Rockingham, Australia
9 Feb 21
We need a new gizmo as ours has discoloured badly over the years and you're battling to read it now. We're a bit slack and don't read it religiously like some do.
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@franxav (13849)
• India
7 Feb 21
In India, it rains heavily. Sometimes it "pours" during the rainy season. Earlier we used to measure rain in inches but these days the unit of centimetre is used. However, few people speak in these technical terms and farmers don't keep rain gauges here.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (342164)
• Rockingham, Australia
8 Feb 21
Thanks for the information. I guess in your country, the amount of rain isn't quite so important. I mean, you maybe only need to worry when there is too much.
@LindaOHio (181779)
• United States
8 Feb 21
We only talk about how much rain we received if it was a notable amount. For example, we had a flood many years ago; and we had over 10" of rain. We talk about rain in inches. Great photo.
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@JudyEv (342164)
• Rockingham, Australia
9 Feb 21
I can understand that. Our agriculture hinges so much on the rainfall, it's always in the conversations.
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• Philippines
8 Feb 21
We don't talk about the amount of rain we usually get here in PH
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@JudyEv (342164)
• Rockingham, Australia
8 Feb 21
I guess you get such a lot and you are never short of water.
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@Babale (1866)
• Semarang, Indonesia
8 Feb 21
How can we measure water? It might be more accurate to put it in liters.
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@JudyEv (342164)
• Rockingham, Australia
8 Feb 21
We have a plastic tube tied to a post out in the open. The tube has markings on it so we can tell how much rain has fallen over a given period.
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