Fulton, MO rainwater: 35,178 gallons off a roof

Rainwater from a roof in Fulton, MO

35,178gallons a year

That is a 1,500 sq ft asphalt roof under Fulton, MO's normal 44.3 inches of rain, about 795 gallons for every inch that falls.

In Fulton, MO a single barrel does most of the work. Storms come often enough that a small tank refills before it runs dry, and a bigger one would mostly sit full.

Rainfall: NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, the Fulton station (0.7 mi away). Fulton, MO ranks 34th wettest of the 80 cities covered in Missouri.

Month by month in Fulton

Month	Rain (in)	Off the roof (gal)	Garden shortfall (gal)
Jan	2.40	1,908
Feb	2.24	1,780
Mar	3.14	2,496
Apr	4.81	3,823
May	5.16	4,101
Jun	4.51	3,585
Jul	4.51	3,585
Aug	4.03	3,203	40
Sep	4.19	3,330	20
Oct	3.73	2,965	77
Nov	3.06	2,432
Dec	2.48	1,971

May is the wettest month (5.16 in, 4,101 gal off the roof); Feb the driest (2.24 in). Garden shortfall is what a 200 sq ft vegetable bed needs beyond the rain that lands on it, April to October.

Barrel or cistern in Fulton?

Best fit: one 55-gallon barrel, which delivers about 112 gallons to the garden in a normal year (81.7% of its need).

Before you buy, a 55-gallon barrel with a downspout diverter is the whole job. Check that the overflow points away from your foundation, because most of Fulton's roof water will pass straight through it.

Tank	Water used (gal/yr)	Spills over (gal/yr)
55 gal	112	33,971
110 gal	112	33,971
165 gal	112	33,971
275 gal	112	33,971
550 gal	112	33,971
1,000 gal	112	33,971
1,500 gal	112	33,971
2,500 gal	112	33,971
5,000 gal	112	33,971

Simulated storm by storm through a normal year using the station's count of days with 0.1 in or more of rain each month.

Is rainwater collection legal in Missouri?

No rainwater harvesting regulations

From the 2015 (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory report 24347); not yet re-checked against current law, so check with your state water agency before building anything large. Source