Tenerife Weather

[NAH]

We are stopped at 43.5ml.

Just heard from a friend in La Escalona.  They got 191ml.

To my way of thinking that is a meaningless figure unless we know over what area that measure of rain fell. 191ml over one square mile would be hardly sufficient to make the ground damp whereas 191 ml over one square centimeter would be a seriously large amount of rain. Is the volume which you state measured using some standard sized bucket with a known area or do you actually mean millimeters and not millilitres?

[Perikles]

To my way of thinking that is a meaningless figure unless we know over what area that measure of rain fell. 191ml over one square mile would be hardly sufficient to make the ground damp whereas 191 ml over one square centimeter would be a seriously large amount of rain. Is the volume which you state measured using some standard sized bucket with a known area or do you actually mean millimeters and not millilitres?

Absolutely correct, meaningless per se, but what they never tell you is that this is the volume fallen per square metre. Having a sensible set of measuring units, we know that one cubic metre is obviously 1000 litres because by definition a litre is one cubic decilitre. So 191 ml over one square metre is equivalent to a height of 191 mm. Right?

Why the hell they can't just say 191 mm (which is meangingful) and not the stupid 191 ml (which is meaningless) I have no idea.

Anyway, to those who live in the 19th century, that's about 9 inches of rain. Bloody hell.

[NAH]

Absolutely correct, meaningless per se, but what they never tell you is that this is the volume fallen per square metre. Having a sensible set of measuring units, we know that one cubic metre is obviously 1000 litres because by definition a litre is one cubic decilitre. So 191 ml over one square metre is equivalent to a height of 191 mm. Right?

Why the hell they can't just say 191 mm (which is meangingful) and not the stupid 191 ml (which is meaningless) I have no idea.

Anyway, to those who live in the 19th century, that's about 9 inches of rain. Bloody hell.

Perikles, thank you for the clear and precise explanation. However surely 191mm / 25.4 (mm in an inch) = a little over 7.5 inches not 9  Whichever it is still a lot of rainfall though.

[Michael]

So has it stopped raining yet?

[Myrtle Hogan-Lance]

Yes.  The sun is out brighter than day and we have 20 degrees outside.

As for the mm/ml argument, whatever they say.

[Perikles]

Perikles, thank you for the clear and precise explanation. However surely 191mm / 25.4 (mm in an inch) = a little over 7.5 inches not 9  Whichever it is still a lot of rainfall though.

Yes you are absolutely right. My explanation is either (take your choice)

1. Men automatically exaggerate measurements in inches 

2. I have always used my outstretched palm as a handy measure because it is (was) exactly 9 inches from the tip of my  thumb to the tip of my little finger. This has served me well over the years because I could never find my tape measure. However, recently my little finger is bent double and stiff (Dupuytren's Contracture), and this morning, measuring my hand against 191 mm on a ruler, I forgot to take this into account. 

[minesadorada]

My BBC weather app reports that it will be rainy all week.  Do our resident experts agree?

[Janet]

yep, the forecast here is for on and off rain ... maybe a bit severe again next weekend.

[Janet]

191 is right up there ... the maximum recorded yesterday was 196 (that's litres per square metre according to THIS paper, so not my bloody fault if it's wrong ... ) ... that was in El Hierro, though, and the maximum in Tenerife seems to have been 191 in Guimar (and evidently La Escalona too!).

There are some impresionante videos of the downpour on that link too ...

[El Profesor]

My BBC weather app reports that it will be rainy all week.  Do our resident experts agree?

I don't think it will rain much before Friday.