19 Captivating Rain Facts That Would Cool Your Mind Down

Rain has many forms, out of which droplets, heavy drizzle, and showers are seen in many places.

Rain is the liquid form of droplets when the water vapor is condensed and form a big drop and falls onto the surface of the Earth. Learn more about rain facts here.

Rain is the only form of non-polluted water on Earth, filling up all the lakes, ponds, and oceans. When it comes into contact with air, the water vapor then changes its form into water, which eventually becomes a droplet and falls onto the surface of the Earth. This process is called condensation.

Similarly, the condensed water vapor may take any form to fall onto the ground, such as rain, snow, dew, and sleet. This form of fall onto the Earth is known as precipitation.

Cause Of Rain

The water showered on the ground after the condensation of water and precipitation in the form of liquid, snow, sleet, or maybe in the form of ice crystals is called rain.

Air contains water vapor and dust particles, and rainfall happens when the warm air travels from the water surfaces or the wetlands, then the water vapor is carried into the sky and can be seen as clouds.

• A cloud is a collective form of water droplets that fall to Earth due to its gravity.
• If the clouds grow big due to the water droplets, they clash and overlap into a single drop.
• The rainfall can be measured with an instrument called a rain gauge.
• The highest amount of rainfall was recorded in 1966 in the Foc-Foc region of Réunion, a French territory in off the coast of Madagascar.
• Rain is an important factor in the Earth's water cycle. One drop of water lives for around eight days in a cloud before falling to Earth.
• The monsoon season is the time of year that occurs for one to three months when the majority of a region's annual precipitation will happen.
• Rainfall is not only limited to Earth but also happens on other planets. But the form may differ from planet to planet. For instance, the rainfall on Venus generally includes sulfuric acid.
• Due to intense heat in the solar system, sometimes rain evaporates before it touches the ground on other planets.
• The instrument used to detect rainfall is called a weather radar.

Rain Formation

Due to the strong heat waves of the sun, the water in the oceans and rivers is evaporated and turns into water vapor. When water vapor reaches the sky, it comes into contact with the air and condenses into the water by forming small droplets.

All the droplets collectively form into a cloud. And when the cloud cannot hold the drops any longer, that is when the rain is formed. This process is also called precipitation.

• Antarctica is the driest continent on the Earth, with little to no annual rainfall.
• Māwsynrām in India is the wettest place on the planet.

Acid Rain

Acid Rain is one of the forms of precipitation with acidic components such as sulfuric acid or nitric acid. When a little sulfur dioxide and nitric acid is released into the air, they mix and react with water, oxygen, and other chemicals in the atmosphere and form precipitation called acid rain.

Acid rain is very harmful as it destroys the Earth's coral belt and damages marine life.

• Acid rain can be of two types: wet deposition and dry deposition.
• It is caused mainly because of harmful gases released from factories, power stations, and vehicles into the air.
• Acid rain plays an important role in preventing carbon dioxide from releasing into the atmosphere.

Fun Facts

Rain is one of the important factors in the water cycle. Virga, also called phantom rain, is a type of rain that evaporates before it touches the ground. It frequently appears in abandoned and hot places like deserts and nearby surroundings.

• According to the Chinese calendar, April is considered the 'grain rain period', which is even celebrated as a 'grain rain'.
• In Honduras, sometimes small silverfish fall from the sky when it rains!

FAQs

Is rain always wet?
No, rain is not always wet. In some places, the droplets evaporate before reaching the ground.

How is rain created?
Rain is created when the water vapor from the oceans is formed due to intense heat and humidity and makes contact with the air. When the water droplets are formed, they fall to Earth.

What is a rain cloud called?
A rain cloud is called Nimbus. Two examples of these are nimbostratus and cumulonimbus clouds.

What is rain made of?
Rain is made out of water droplets condensed from water vapor.

What is frog rain?
Frog rain is a rare occurrence, just like the raining fish. It is believed that frogs get taken away in a storm, travel long distances, and fall when it rains.

Which clouds bring heavy rain?
Cumulonimbus clouds bring heavy rain usually to the ground.

What is the wettest place in the world?
Mawsynram, India, is considered the wettest place in the world.

How many types of rain are there?
There are three types of rain, relief rain, convectional rain, and cyclonic rain.

Why does it rain?
It rains to preserve the water on the ground and cool down the temperature from the sun's intense heat.

What is acid rain?
Rain with high levels of acid formed by sulfur dioxide is called acid rain.