The Amount of Water That Actually Falls During a One-Inch Rainstorm is Incredible

We always check our rain gauges and hear rainfall reports, but we don't really know what the numbers mean. When all of Cedar Rapids gets an inch of rain, how many gallons of water actually fall? Prepare to be blown away.

The National Weather Service in the Quad Cities released the table below today. A one-inch rainfall over a quarter of an acre doesn't sound all that impressive until you actually consider it's nearly 7,000 gallons. However, compare that to the amount of water that falls when/if the entire city of Cedar Rapids receives an inch, and wow! More than one-and-a-quarter-BILLION gallons. Incredible! No wonder river levels can change so quickly during periods of heavy rainfall.