A ship rain gauge has been developed that can be used under high wind
speeds such as those experienced by ships at sea, The instrument has a
n improved aerodynamic design and an additional lateral collecting sur
face, which is effective especially with high wind speeds. The ship ra
in gauge has been calibrated at sea against a specially designed optic
al disdrometer. An accuracy of 2%-3% has been obtained for 6-hourly su
ms. The ship rain gauge has also successfully been tested at a test si
te of the German Weather Service and presently is used on research ves
sels and voluntary observing ship.