The Indian meterological department uses rain gauges to measure daily rainfall. These are kept at various locations in the country. Mumbai, for instance, has two such sites Santacruz and Colaba. Rain gauging systems are two types. Manual and self-reading.

A Manual system measures rainfall by means of a cylindrical vessel kept inside a concrete platform. The water makes its way through the leakproof collector which is placed above a narrow funnel. The capacity of such vessels various depending on the location. The system at Colaba has a capcity for 200 mm. Every three hours, recordings are made in the manual system. A reading is made by pouring collected water into a measuring tube where observations up to a tenth of a millimetre can be made.

In the self-reading system, measurements are automatically graphed on the time scale. This doesn't require a collector as it displaces water automatically after particular level. Daily rain measurements are made from 8:30 AM on ward. The gauges are kept close to ground level. At greater heights, wind affects accuracy.