Owing to evaporation from standard rain gauges in arid zones the natural isotopic abundance of deuterium and oxygen 18 in rainwater may not have been correctly determined in the past. A single‐stage rain sampler has been developed involving the use of a hermetic seal to help eliminate the evaporation problem. This gauge provides a suitable sample for isotopic analysis. A multiple‐stage rain sampler has been developed to enable the collection of successive rainfall fractions within a particular storm. Instruments of both types were distributed throughout the Negev Desert in Israel. Results from 2 years of observations involving 20 storms indicate the efficiency and reliability of the instruments develo
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