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Average Inches Per Hour Formula:
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The Inches Per Hour Running Average calculates the average precipitation rate over multiple measurements. It's commonly used in meteorology, irrigation management, and water resource planning to track precipitation patterns over time.
The calculator uses the simple average formula:
Where:
Explanation: This formula calculates the mean precipitation rate by dividing the total inches per hour by the number of measurement periods.
Details: Running averages help smooth out short-term fluctuations and reveal longer-term trends in precipitation data. This is essential for flood forecasting, drought monitoring, and agricultural irrigation planning.
Tips: Enter the total sum of inches per hour measurements and the number of measurements taken. Both values must be positive numbers (n must be at least 1).
Q1: What's the difference between running average and simple average?
A: A running average updates as new data becomes available, providing a continuously updated mean, while a simple average calculates the mean of a fixed dataset.
Q2: How often should I update my running average?
A: The frequency depends on your application. For weather monitoring, hourly updates are common, while agricultural applications might use daily or weekly averages.
Q3: What are typical inches per hour values for rainfall?
A: Light rain: 0.01-0.1 in/hr, Moderate rain: 0.1-0.3 in/hr, Heavy rain: 0.3-0.5 in/hr, Very heavy rain: >0.5 in/hr.
Q4: Can I use this for irrigation scheduling?
A: Yes, running averages of precipitation help determine when irrigation is needed by showing how much natural water plants are receiving.
Q5: How accurate are these calculations?
A: The calculation is mathematically precise. Accuracy depends on the precision of your measurement instruments and data collection methods.