# Calculating total daily rainfall from a tipping bucket rain gauge

I am trying to calculate total daily rainfall based on data from a tipping bucket rain gauge which is calibrated to a tip of 0.2mm. I have data giving the exact time that a tip is recorded and have summed the number of tips per day.

I am getting myself confused when converting between mm and ml. I understand that the rainfall height is simply 0.2mm x the number of tips in a 24 hour period. Where I am getting confused is converting this number to total daily rainfall in ml. I am interested in looking at variations in runoff generation for some field-scale runoff plots. I have the area measurement for the rain gauge (214 cm²). Do I need to convert for the field area where the gauge is situated as well when calculating the total daily rainfall? I feel like it can't be as simple as whatever the rainfall height is (in mm) converted to ml.

Thanks

• See also What does a mm of rain mean?... as the other inputs says, to get a volume, you need to consider what area you want the volume of rainfall for. 10 mm of rain puts down more volume if it is a wide storm over a whole city versus a small-scale peak over a small field. Nov 25 '21 at 22:51

• Volume rainfall 30000 m x 2/1000 m = $$60 m^3$$