A number of areas have routinely received rain in recent weeks. Some people don't like rain because it can ruin plans that have been prepared, but there are also those who are happy and grateful when it rains.
There are a number of interesting things that you might not know about rain. Here are 7 interesting facts about rain, quoted by us from Fox Weather, Thursday (2/3/2023):
1. There are places on Earth that have never had rain
The Atacama Desert in northern Chile and southern Peru is the driest place on Earth based on meteorological observations. Rainfall averages just 0.5 millimeters per year, according to the Guinness World Record. NASA says the Atacama Desert is the driest non-polar desert on Earth.
However, scientists believe there is an even drier place, namely Antarctica's McMurdo Dry Valleys. According to EarthDate.org, this area has not seen a single drop of rainfall in Earth's history.
Both of these deserts are very dry and inhospitable. Using the same tools used on Mars in the 1970s, the results show no life at either location on Earth.
2. Rain doesn't always reach the ground
When rain falls from clouds, it usually hits the ground and gets us completely soaked if we are not wearing an umbrella or raincoat.
But if the air is very dry, raindrops can evaporate during their descent to the Earth's surface. This condition usually only creates overcast. The raindrops that evaporate before reaching the ground are called virga.
3. The smell of rain is very distinctive, this is the source
Although water is generally odorless, you may smell the distinct aroma of rain the first time it rains. This scent, according to EarthSky.org, actually comes from soil moisture.
The smell of rain is known as petrichor, a term coined by Australian scientists in 1964. Actinobacteria or tiny microorganisms that can be found in rural and urban areas, as well as in marine environments, are the main contributors to the smell of petrichor.
They decompose dead or decaying organic matter into simple chemical compounds. The by-product of their activity is geosmin, an organic compound that contributes to the smell of rain.
Small particles called aerosols are released when the raindrops hit the surface, and the geosmin that may be on the ground or dissolved in the raindrops is then released in the form of an aerosol, so that our noses are able to catch the scent of the petrichor in the aerosol.
4. Shape of raindrops
Raindrops are actually not shaped like teardrops as they are often described so far. According to the US Geology Survey (USGS) the most common raindrops are shaped like a hamburger bun.
"The small raindrops (less than 1 millimeter in radius) are spherical, the larger ones have a shape that looks more like a hamburger bun," said the USGS.
"When they get larger than a radius of about 4.5 millimeters, they quickly distort into a parachute-like shape with a tube of water around their base, then they break up into smaller droplets," the USGS wrote.
5. Weight of raindrops
The term heavy rain, of course, does not refer to the severity. The average raindrop weighs only 0.034 gram, according to the physics department at Union University in Tennessee. To give you an idea, it's about a little lighter and the weight of an eyelash.
6. It takes 2 minutes for raindrops to reach the ground
The height at which the raindrops fall from the clouds varies. However, raindrops fall to the ground with an average speed of 22 km/hour.
If we assume that the cloud is at an altitude of about 760 meters, it takes approximately 2 minutes for the raindrops to reach the surface.
Larger raindrops can fall as fast as 32 km/h, while the smallest raindrops take up to 7 minutes to hit the ground.
7. The wettest place is in India
Mawsynram, in India's Maghalaya state, is the wettest place on Earth due to very high rainfall. According to WorldAtlas.com, the average rainfall in Mawsynram is 11,870 mm per year.
This is because India's monsoon brings moist southwesterly winds from the Bay of Bengal. The wind hits the Himalayas and is forced up the mountains, which increases rainfall on the windward side and decreases heavy rainfall in Mawsynram Village.