What is the maximum rain rate that a VP2 tipping bucket will record? The user manual says that it is UP TO 96"/HR.
Earlier this week we had real downpour for a short period. I had checked the debris screen that morning so I am fairly certain that there was not any obstruction. Standing on the carport about 30 yards from the station, it looked like the bucket was overflowing. I was going to go check it, but got distracted - a six foot tall water stream where a downspout entered a 6" corrugated pipe. By the time I found out that the corrugated was not obstructed, the hardest rain had stopped. The pressure in the downspout was enough to blow out all the cracks where it transitioned to PVC.
The highest rain rate that the station recorded was 9.7"/hr. If the spec is correct, that means the gauge should record a rain 10 TIMES harder that what we experienced. Has anyone ever recorded a reading anywhere close to the upper limit?