Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Rain shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Rain offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Rain at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Rain? Wrong! If the Rain is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Rain then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Rain? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Rain and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Rain wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Rain then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Rain site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Rain, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Rain, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
Rain is a type of precipitation (meteorology), a product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that is deposited on the earth's surface. It forms when separate droplet of water fall to the Earth's surface from
clouds. Not all rain reaches the surface; some evaporates while falling through dry air. When none of it reaches the ground, it is called virga, a phenomenon often seen in hot, dry desert regions.
How rain is formed
Rain plays a role in the
hydrologic cycle in which
moisture from the
oceans evaporates, condenses into drops, precipitates (falls) from the sky, and eventually returns to the ocean via rivers and
streams to repeat the cycle again. The water vapor from plant respiration also contributes to the moisture in the atmosphere.
A major scientific explanation of how rain forms and falls is called the
Bergeron process. More recent research points to the influence of Cloud condensation nuclei released as the result of biological processes.
Differing conditions for rainfall
Based on the reason for precipitation, rain is classified into:
- Orographic rain
- Convective rain
- Frontal or cyclonic rain
Orographic rain (relief rain)
rain in
Kerala, IndiaOrographic rain (or relief rain) is caused when the warm moisture-laden wind blowing in to the land from the sea encounters a natural barrier such as
mountains. This forces the wind to rise. With gain in altitude, the air expands dynamically due to a decrease in
Atmospheric pressure. Due to this the wind experiences a decrease in temperature (by
Adiabatic process), which results in the increase of the
relative humidity. This causes condensation of water vapor into water droplets to form
clouds. The relative humidity continues to increase until the dew point reaches the level of condensation, causing air to be saturated. This height where the condensation occurs is called the
level of condensation. When the cloud droplets become too heavy to be suspended, rain falls.
As the wind descends on the
leeward of the mountain range, it becomes compressed and warms; which results in the decrease of the
relative humidity of the wind, which is already dry after precipitating its moisture on the
windward of the mountain. Hence the leeward of the mountains does not receive any rain from these winds and its called the Rain Shadow of the mountains.
The Monsoon is a good example of orographic rain. About 80% of the rain that occurs in
India is of this category.
Convective rain
Convective rain mainly occurs in the equator and
tropical climate where it is very hot during the day. The rate of
evaporation of moisture from the
water body and respiration from the dense vegetation is very high. The evaporated moisture along with its hot surrounding air begins to ascend. With gain in altitude, the air expands dynamically due to a decrease in Atmospheric pressure. Due to this the wind experiences a decrease in temperature (per
Adiabatic process), which results in the increase of the
relative humidity. This causes condensation of water vapor into water droplets to form unstable towering cumulonimbus clouds. When the cloud droplets become too heavy to be suspended, rain falls.
Frontal or cyclonic rain
.Frontal (or cyclonic) rain is caused by cyclonic activity and it occurs along the fronts of the
cyclone. It is formed when two masses of air of different temperature, humidity and density meet, e.g., a meeting of moisture laden warm tropical wind with a polar air mass. A layer separating them is called the
front. This front has two parts — the
warm front and the
cold front. At the warm front, the warm lighter air rises gently over the heavier cold air. As the warm air rises, it cools, and the moisture present in it condenses to form clouds —
altostratus clouds. This rain falls steadily for a few hours to a few days.
At the cold front, the cold air forces the warm air to rise rapidly causing its moisture to condense quickly, which results in the formation of
cumulonimbus clouds. The rainfall from these clouds is usually heavy and of short duration.
Human influence
, India.
The fine particulate matter produced by car exhaust and other human sources of pollution form
cloud condensation nuclei, leads to the production of clouds and increases the likelihood of rain. As commuters and commercial traffic cause pollution to build up over the course of the week, the likelihood of rain increases: it peaks by Saturday, after five days of weekday pollution has been built up. In heavily populated areas that are near the coast, such as the United States' Eastern Seaboard, the effect can be dramatic: there is a 22% higher chance of rain on Saturdays than on Mondays.Cerveny, R. S., and R. C. Balling. Weekly cycles of air pollutants, precipitation and tropical cyclones in the coastal NW Atlantic region. Nature. 394, 561-563.
Classifying the amount of rain
When classified according to amount of precipitation, rain can be divided into:http://my.athenet.net/~multiplx/cgi-bin/pics/rain_rate.html
- very light rain — when the precipitation rate is < 0.25 mm/hour
- light rain — when the precipitation rate is between 0.25 mm/hour - 1.0 mm/hour
- moderate rain — when the precipitation rate is between 1.0 mm/hour - 4.0 mm/hour
- heavy rain — when the precipitation rate is between 4.0 mm/hour - 16.0 mm/hour
- very heavy rain — when the precipitation rate is between 16.0 mm/hour - 50 mm/hour
- extreme rain — when the precipitation rate is > 50.0 mm/hour
Properties
Falling raindrops are often depicted in
cartoons as "teardrop-shaped" — round at the bottom and narrowing towards the top — but this is incorrect. Only drops of water dripping from some sources are tear-shaped at the moment of formation. Small raindrops are nearly
sphere. Larger ones become increasingly flattened on the bottom, like hamburger buns; very large ones are shaped like parachutes.http://www.ems.psu.edu/~fraser/Bad/BadRain.html The shape of raindrops was studied by Philipp Lenard in 1898. He found that small raindrops (less than about 2 mm diameter) are approximately spherical. As they get larger (to about 5 mm diameter) they become more doughnut shaped. Beyond about 5 mm they become unstable and fragment. On average, raindrops are 1 to 2 mm in diameter. The biggest raindrops on Earth were recorded over
Brazil and the
Marshall Islands in 2004 — some of them were as large as 10 mm. The large size is explained by condensation on large smoke particles or by collisions between drops in small regions with particularly high content of liquid water.
Raindrops impact at their terminal velocity, which is greater for larger drops. At sea level and without wind, 0.5 mm drizzle impacts at about 2 m/s, while large 5 mm drops impact at around 9 m/s.http://www.wonderquest.com/falling-raindrops.htm The sound of raindrops hitting water is caused by bubbles of air oscillating underwater. See Droplet#Sound
Generally, rain has a pH slightly under 6. This is because atmospheric carbon dioxide dissolves in the droplet to form minute quantities of
carbonic acid, which then partially dissociates, lowering the pH. In some desert areas, airborne dust contains enough
calcium carbonate to counter the natural acidity of precipitation, and rainfall can be neutral or even alkaline. Rain below pH 5.6 is considered acid rain.
Measuring rainfall
Rainfall is typically measured using a rain gauge. It is expressed as the depth of water that collects on a flat surface, and is routinely measured with an accuracy up to 0.1 mm or 0.01 in. Rain gauges are usually placed at a uniform height above the ground, which may vary depending on the country. There are two types of gauges.
Storage rain gauges are used to make daily or monthly measurements.
Recording rain gauges measure the intensity of rainfall using a
tipping bucket which will only tip when a certain volume of water is in it. An electrical switch can be used to record the tips.
Effect on agriculture
Precipitation (meteorology), especially rain, has a dramatic effect on agriculture. All
plants need at least some water to survive, therefore rain (being the most effective means of watering) is important to
agriculture. While a regular rain pattern is usually vital to healthy
plants, too much or too little rainfall can be harmful, even devastating to
Crop (agriculture). Drought can kill crops in massive numbers, while overly wet weather can cause disease and harmful fungus. Plants need varying amounts of rainfall to survive. For example, cactus need small amounts of water while tropical plants may need up to hundreds of inches of rain to survive.
Agriculture of all nations at least to some extent is dependent on rain. Indian agriculture, for example, (which accounts for 25 percent of the GDP and employs 70 percent of the nation's population) is heavily dependent on the rains, especially crops like cotton, rice, oilseeds and coarse grains. A delay of a few days in the arrival of the monsoon can, and does, badly affect the economy, as evidenced in the numerous droughts in
India in the 90s.
Culture
Cultural attitudes towards rain differ across the world. In the largely
temperate Europe, rain metaphorically has a sad and negative connotation — reflected in children's rhymes like Rain Rain Go Away — in contrast to the bright and happy sun. Though the traditional notion of rain in the Western World is negative, rain can also bring joy, as some consider it to be soothing or enjoy the aesthetic appeal of it. In dry places, such as parts of Africa,
Australia, India, and the
Middle East, rain is greeted with
wiktionary:Euphoria. (In
Botswana, the Setswana word for rain, "pula," is used as
Botswana pula, in recognition of the economic importance of rain in this desert country.)
Several cultures have developed means of dealing with rain and have developed numerous protection devices such as umbrellas and
raincoats, and diversion devices such as
rain gutters and
storm drains that lead rains to sewers. Many people also prefer to stay inside on rainy days, especially in tropical climates where rain is usually accompanied by
thunderstorms or rain is extremely heavy (
monsoon). Rain may be Rainwater harvesting, though rainwater is rarely pure (as
acid rain occurs naturally), or used as greywater. Excessive rain, particularly after a dry period that has hardened the soil so that it cannot absorb water, can cause
floods.
Many people find the scent during and immediately after rain especially pleasant or distinctive. The source of this scent is petrichor, an oil produced by plants, then absorbed by rocks and soil, and later released into the air during rainfall. Light or heavy rain is sometimes seen as romantic. Rain can be depressing to some people due to bleak clouds.
Rain around the world
Europe
A country noted for its raininess is the
United Kingdom. The reputation is partly deserved because of the frequency of rain driven into the country by the south-western trade winds following the warm
gulf stream currents. Areas along the western coasts (including those in
Ireland) can receive between 1016 mm (40 inches, at sea-level) and 2540 mm (100 inches, on the mountains) of rain per year. However, what is less well known is that the eastern and southern half of the country is much drier, with the south east having a lower rainfall average than Jerusalem and Beirut at between 450 and 600 mm per year.
Meanwhile,
Bergen in Norway is one of the more famous European rain-cities with its yearly precipitation of 2250 mm (88 inches) on average.
North America
One city that is known for rain is Seattle, Washington. Rain is common in the winter, but mostly the climate is cloudy with little rain. Seattle's average rainfall is 942 mm (37.1 inches) per year, Monthly Averages for Seattle, WA.
The Weather Channel. Last accessed October 19, 2006. less than New York City with 1173 mm (46.2 inches), Monthly Averages for New York, NY.
The Weather Channel. Last accessed October 19, 2006. but has 201 cloudy days per year (compared to 152 in New York). Cloudiness - Mean Number of Days.
National Climatic Data Center. Last accessed October 19, 2006. However, it should be noted that Seattle lies in the
rain shadow of the nearby
Olympic Mountains, with some locations on the windward sides of the mountains receiving close to 5080 mm (200 inches) per year. Average Annual Precipitation in Washington. Oregon Climate Service at
Oregon State University. Last accessed October 19, 2006.
Vancouver, British Columbia could be considered the world's capital of rain, despite having some snow during special periods, receiving as much as 40 mm at one time. Almost every day in the winter the Greater Vancouver Area is pummeled by rain.
Australia
Melbourne, Australia has a similar reputation to Vancouver's. In the popular imagination it is thought of as being much rainier than Sydney, Australia; however, Sydney receives an average of 1094 mm (43.1 inches) of rain per year Averages for SYDNEY AIRPORT AMO. Australian Government
Bureau of Meteorology. Last accessed October 19, 2006. compared to Melbourne's 544 mm (21.4 inches). Averages for MELBOURNE AIRPORT. Australian Government
Bureau of Meteorology. Last accessed October 19, 2006. Sydney, meanwhile, experiences 53 fewer overcast days per year than Melbourne.
Although Australia is the world's driest continent, Mt Bellenden Ker in the north-east of the country records an average of 8000 mm (315 inches) per year, with over 12000 mm (472 inches) of rain recorded in the year 2000.
Asia
Cherrapunji, situated on the southern slopes of the
Himalaya in
Shillong, India is one of the wettest places on Earth.
Mythology
The Ancient Greeks belived that rain was a sign of the gods anger towards them. The thought that it symbolised drowning and frustration as it often disturbed what they were doing.
References
See also
External links
- What are clouds, and why does it rain?
- BBC article on the weekend rain effect
- BBC article on rain-making
- Do we have enough fresh water? Johan Rockstrom says we do, if we use it correctly. Earth & Sky interview, discusses capturing rainfall and reducing runoff, partly through conservation tillage.
Rain is a type of
precipitation (meteorology), a product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that is deposited on the earth's surface. It forms when separate droplet of
water fall to the
Earth's surface from
clouds. Not all rain reaches the surface; some evaporates while falling through dry
air. When none of it reaches the ground, it is called
virga, a phenomenon often seen in hot, dry desert regions.
How rain is formed
Rain plays a role in the hydrologic cycle in which moisture from the
oceans evaporates, condenses into drops, precipitates (falls) from the sky, and eventually returns to the ocean via rivers and
streams to repeat the cycle again. The
water vapor from plant respiration also contributes to the moisture in the atmosphere.
A major scientific explanation of how rain forms and falls is called the
Bergeron process. More recent research points to the influence of Cloud condensation nuclei released as the result of biological processes.
Differing conditions for rainfall
Based on the reason for precipitation, rain is classified into:
- Orographic rain
- Convective rain
- Frontal or cyclonic rain
Orographic rain (relief rain)
rain in
Kerala, IndiaOrographic rain (or relief rain) is caused when the warm moisture-laden wind blowing in to the land from the sea encounters a natural barrier such as
mountains. This forces the wind to rise. With gain in altitude, the air expands dynamically due to a decrease in Atmospheric pressure. Due to this the wind experiences a decrease in temperature (by Adiabatic process), which results in the increase of the
relative humidity. This causes condensation of
water vapor into water droplets to form clouds. The relative humidity continues to increase until the
dew point reaches the level of condensation, causing air to be saturated. This height where the condensation occurs is called the
level of condensation. When the cloud droplets become too heavy to be suspended, rain falls.
As the wind descends on the leeward of the mountain range, it becomes compressed and warms; which results in the decrease of the
relative humidity of the wind, which is already dry after precipitating its moisture on the
windward of the mountain. Hence the
leeward of the mountains does not receive any rain from these winds and its called the
Rain Shadow of the mountains.
The Monsoon is a good example of orographic rain. About 80% of the rain that occurs in India is of this category.
Convective rain
Convective rain mainly occurs in the equator and
tropical climate where it is very hot during the day. The rate of
evaporation of moisture from the water body and respiration from the dense vegetation is very high. The evaporated moisture along with its hot surrounding air begins to ascend. With gain in altitude, the air expands dynamically due to a decrease in Atmospheric pressure. Due to this the wind experiences a decrease in temperature (per Adiabatic process), which results in the increase of the relative humidity. This causes condensation of
water vapor into water droplets to form unstable towering cumulonimbus clouds. When the cloud droplets become too heavy to be suspended, rain falls.
Frontal or cyclonic rain
.Frontal (or cyclonic) rain is caused by cyclonic activity and it occurs along the fronts of the
cyclone. It is formed when two masses of air of different temperature, humidity and density meet, e.g., a meeting of moisture laden warm tropical wind with a polar air mass. A layer separating them is called the
front. This front has two parts — the
warm front and the
cold front. At the warm front, the warm lighter air rises gently over the heavier cold air. As the warm air rises, it cools, and the moisture present in it condenses to form clouds —
altostratus clouds. This rain falls steadily for a few hours to a few days.
At the cold front, the cold air forces the warm air to rise rapidly causing its moisture to condense quickly, which results in the formation of
cumulonimbus clouds. The rainfall from these clouds is usually heavy and of short duration.
Human influence
,
India.
The fine particulate matter produced by car exhaust and other human sources of pollution form
cloud condensation nuclei, leads to the production of clouds and increases the likelihood of rain. As commuters and commercial traffic cause pollution to build up over the course of the week, the likelihood of rain increases: it peaks by Saturday, after five days of weekday pollution has been built up. In heavily populated areas that are near the coast, such as the United States' Eastern Seaboard, the effect can be dramatic: there is a 22% higher chance of rain on Saturdays than on Mondays.Cerveny, R. S., and R. C. Balling. Weekly cycles of air pollutants, precipitation and tropical cyclones in the coastal NW Atlantic region. Nature. 394, 561-563.
Classifying the amount of rain
When classified according to amount of precipitation, rain can be divided into:http://my.athenet.net/~multiplx/cgi-bin/pics/rain_rate.html
- very light rain — when the precipitation rate is < 0.25 mm/hour
- light rain — when the precipitation rate is between 0.25 mm/hour - 1.0 mm/hour
- moderate rain — when the precipitation rate is between 1.0 mm/hour - 4.0 mm/hour
- heavy rain — when the precipitation rate is between 4.0 mm/hour - 16.0 mm/hour
- very heavy rain — when the precipitation rate is between 16.0 mm/hour - 50 mm/hour
- extreme rain — when the precipitation rate is > 50.0 mm/hour
Properties
Falling raindrops are often depicted in cartoons as "teardrop-shaped" — round at the bottom and narrowing towards the top — but this is incorrect. Only drops of water dripping from some sources are tear-shaped at the moment of formation. Small raindrops are nearly sphere. Larger ones become increasingly flattened on the bottom, like hamburger buns; very large ones are shaped like
parachutes.http://www.ems.psu.edu/~fraser/Bad/BadRain.html The shape of raindrops was studied by Philipp Lenard in 1898. He found that small raindrops (less than about 2 mm diameter) are approximately spherical. As they get larger (to about 5 mm diameter) they become more doughnut shaped. Beyond about 5 mm they become unstable and fragment. On average, raindrops are 1 to 2 mm in diameter. The biggest raindrops on Earth were recorded over Brazil and the Marshall Islands in 2004 — some of them were as large as 10 mm. The large size is explained by condensation on large smoke particles or by collisions between drops in small regions with particularly high content of liquid water.
Raindrops impact at their
terminal velocity, which is greater for larger drops. At sea level and without wind, 0.5 mm
drizzle impacts at about 2 m/s, while large 5 mm drops impact at around 9 m/s.http://www.wonderquest.com/falling-raindrops.htm The sound of raindrops hitting water is caused by bubbles of air oscillating underwater. See
Droplet#SoundGenerally, rain has a pH slightly under 6. This is because atmospheric carbon dioxide dissolves in the droplet to form minute quantities of carbonic acid, which then partially dissociates, lowering the pH. In some desert areas, airborne dust contains enough
calcium carbonate to counter the natural acidity of precipitation, and rainfall can be neutral or even alkaline. Rain below pH 5.6 is considered
acid rain.
Measuring rainfall
Rainfall is typically measured using a
rain gauge. It is expressed as the depth of water that collects on a flat surface, and is routinely measured with an accuracy up to 0.1 mm or 0.01 in. Rain gauges are usually placed at a uniform height above the ground, which may vary depending on the country. There are two types of gauges.
Storage rain gauges are used to make daily or monthly measurements.
Recording rain gauges measure the intensity of rainfall using a
tipping bucket which will only tip when a certain volume of water is in it. An electrical switch can be used to record the tips.
Effect on agriculture
Precipitation (meteorology), especially rain, has a dramatic effect on agriculture. All plants need at least some water to survive, therefore rain (being the most effective means of watering) is important to
agriculture. While a regular rain pattern is usually vital to healthy plants, too much or too little rainfall can be harmful, even devastating to
Crop (agriculture).
Drought can kill crops in massive numbers, while overly wet weather can cause disease and harmful fungus.
Plants need varying amounts of rainfall to survive. For example,
cactus need small amounts of water while tropical plants may need up to hundreds of inches of rain to survive.
Agriculture of all nations at least to some extent is dependent on rain.
Indian agriculture, for example, (which accounts for 25 percent of the GDP and employs 70 percent of the nation's population) is heavily dependent on the rains, especially crops like cotton, rice,
oilseeds and coarse grains. A delay of a few days in the arrival of the monsoon can, and does, badly affect the economy, as evidenced in the numerous droughts in India in the 90s.
Culture
Cultural attitudes towards rain differ across the world. In the largely temperate
Europe, rain metaphorically has a sad and negative connotation — reflected in children's rhymes like Rain Rain Go Away — in contrast to the bright and happy sun. Though the traditional notion of rain in the Western World is negative, rain can also bring joy, as some consider it to be soothing or enjoy the aesthetic appeal of it. In dry places, such as parts of
Africa, Australia, India, and the
Middle East, rain is greeted with wiktionary:Euphoria. (In
Botswana, the
Setswana word for rain, "pula," is used as Botswana pula, in recognition of the economic importance of rain in this desert country.)
Several cultures have developed means of dealing with rain and have developed numerous protection devices such as
umbrellas and
raincoats, and diversion devices such as rain gutters and storm drains that lead rains to sewers. Many people also prefer to stay inside on rainy days, especially in tropical climates where rain is usually accompanied by thunderstorms or rain is extremely heavy (monsoon). Rain may be
Rainwater harvesting, though rainwater is rarely pure (as
acid rain occurs naturally), or used as greywater. Excessive rain, particularly after a dry period that has hardened the soil so that it cannot absorb water, can cause
floods.
Many people find the scent during and immediately after rain especially pleasant or distinctive. The source of this scent is
petrichor, an oil produced by plants, then absorbed by rocks and soil, and later released into the air during rainfall. Light or heavy rain is sometimes seen as romantic. Rain can be depressing to some people due to bleak clouds.
Rain around the world
Europe
A country noted for its raininess is the
United Kingdom. The reputation is partly deserved because of the frequency of rain driven into the country by the south-western trade winds following the warm gulf stream currents. Areas along the western coasts (including those in
Ireland) can receive between 1016 mm (40 inches, at sea-level) and 2540 mm (100 inches, on the mountains) of rain per year. However, what is less well known is that the eastern and southern half of the country is much drier, with the south east having a lower rainfall average than Jerusalem and Beirut at between 450 and 600 mm per year.
Meanwhile,
Bergen in Norway is one of the more famous European rain-cities with its yearly precipitation of 2250 mm (88 inches) on average.
North America
One city that is known for rain is
Seattle, Washington. Rain is common in the winter, but mostly the climate is cloudy with little rain. Seattle's average rainfall is 942 mm (37.1 inches) per year, Monthly Averages for Seattle, WA.
The Weather Channel. Last accessed October 19, 2006. less than New York City with 1173 mm (46.2 inches), Monthly Averages for New York, NY.
The Weather Channel. Last accessed October 19, 2006. but has 201 cloudy days per year (compared to 152 in New York). Cloudiness - Mean Number of Days.
National Climatic Data Center. Last accessed October 19, 2006. However, it should be noted that Seattle lies in the rain shadow of the nearby
Olympic Mountains, with some locations on the
windward sides of the mountains receiving close to 5080 mm (200 inches) per year. Average Annual Precipitation in Washington. Oregon Climate Service at Oregon State University. Last accessed October 19, 2006.
Vancouver, British Columbia could be considered the world's capital of rain, despite having some snow during special periods, receiving as much as 40 mm at one time. Almost every day in the winter the Greater Vancouver Area is pummeled by rain.
Australia
Melbourne, Australia has a similar reputation to Vancouver's. In the popular imagination it is thought of as being much rainier than
Sydney, Australia; however, Sydney receives an average of 1094 mm (43.1 inches) of rain per year Averages for SYDNEY AIRPORT AMO. Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology. Last accessed October 19, 2006. compared to Melbourne's 544 mm (21.4 inches). Averages for MELBOURNE AIRPORT. Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology. Last accessed October 19, 2006. Sydney, meanwhile, experiences 53 fewer overcast days per year than Melbourne.
Although Australia is the world's driest continent, Mt
Bellenden Ker in the north-east of the country records an average of 8000 mm (315 inches) per year, with over 12000 mm (472 inches) of rain recorded in the year 2000.
Asia
Cherrapunji, situated on the southern slopes of the Himalaya in
Shillong,
India is one of the wettest places on Earth.
Mythology
The Ancient Greeks belived that rain was a sign of the gods anger towards them. The thought that it symbolised drowning and frustration as it often disturbed what they were doing.
References
See also
External links
- What are clouds, and why does it rain?
- BBC article on the weekend rain effect
- BBC article on rain-making
- Do we have enough fresh water? Johan Rockstrom says we do, if we use it correctly. Earth & Sky interview, discusses capturing rainfall and reducing runoff, partly through conservation tillage.
Rescued Animals in Need
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Fund raises to run a van which rescues unclaimed dogs from council pounds and moves them to rescues for re-homing. "Your stories" section, lost dogs area, fundraising appeals and ...
BBC - Weather Centre - UK Weather
These charts show where rain or snow has fallen and where it is forecast to fall on the times and days given. Further information...
Rain - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rain is a type of precipitation, a product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that is released on the Earth's surface. It forms when separate drops of water fall to the ...
BBC NEWS | UK | Flood-hit UK braced for more rain
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BBC - Weather Centre - World Weather - Asia - South
BBC Weather summary forecast for South Asia. ... These charts show where rain or snow is forecast to fall on the times and days given. Further information...
Fetchfido's Free Online Games - Rain
Rain and other addictive free online games.
Rain (entertainer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rain (Real name: Jeong Ji-hoon [정지훈], born 25 June 1982) is a male Korean pop singer, dancer, model, and actor.