Rainfall Calculator

Estimate how much water falls on an area during rainfall. Enter rainfall depth and surface area to calculate rain volume in gallons, liters, cubic feet, cubic meters, and runoff after a runoff coefficient.

Calculate Rainfall Volume

Rain Volume = Rainfall Depth × Collection Area
Your result will appear here.

How the rainfall calculator works

Rainfall depth:
Enter how much rain fell, such as 1 inch or 25 millimeters.

Collection area:
Enter the area the rain falls on, such as a roof, yard, garden, driveway, or field.

Runoff coefficient:
Use a value between 0 and 1 to estimate how much water runs off or can be collected.

Rainfall volume:
The calculator converts depth and area into gallons, liters, cubic feet, and cubic meters.

Why use a rainfall calculator?

A rainfall calculator is useful for rainwater collection, rain barrels, drainage planning, garden watering, lawn care, stormwater estimates, roofing, landscaping, agriculture, and understanding how much water falls during a storm.

Actual collected water can vary because of splash loss, evaporation, gutter layout, soil absorption, slope, surface material, and drainage conditions.

What your result means

Your result shows the total rainfall volume over the selected area. The runoff result applies the runoff coefficient to estimate how much water may flow off the surface or be collectable.

Rainfall calculation tips

Frequently asked questions

How do you calculate rainfall volume?

Multiply rainfall depth by the collection area, then convert the volume into gallons, liters, cubic feet, or cubic meters.

How many gallons is 1 inch of rain on 1,000 square feet?

One inch of rain on 1,000 square feet is about 623 gallons before runoff losses.

What is a runoff coefficient?

A runoff coefficient estimates the portion of rainfall that runs off a surface instead of soaking in, evaporating, or being lost.

Can this estimate rain barrel collection?

Yes. Use your roof collection area, rainfall depth, and a runoff coefficient to estimate how much water could be collected.