We all love when it rains. It is not only good for our environment but also makes the weather pleasant. It keeps everything beautiful and green, gives us access to potable water, and helps farmers produce food. Water comes in three different forms which might be a solid, like ice, or a liquid, or it might be a gas like water vapour or steam. Rain, which is water in a liquid state, falls from the sky. All of the lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, and wetlands are filled with rainwater. It is the main source of freshwater which is essential for people, animals, and plants for different purposes. However, when it rains excessively, hazardous flooding could occur.
Are you also wondering how rain forms or why rain occurs? Do you also want to know why it rains? In this article, we will provide you with all the details about this natural wonder, Rain, its formation, different processes involved in rain formation, and why it occurs along with other related information that would help you understand everything about Rain in depth.
What is Rain?
Rain is defined as liquid water droplets that condense from atmospheric water vapour and fall to the earth via gravity when they become heavy. It is a key part of the water cycle process and aids in the deposition of freshwater on Earth. It is necessary for living things to survive, as well as the generation of energy through hydroelectric power plants and irrigation of crops.
Rain is nothing more than atmospheric condensation of water that has grown too heavy to remain in the atmosphere. It returns to the earth from the clouds, seeps into the soil, and re-starts the rain cycle.
Importance of Rain
We all know the importance of water in nature and the importance of proper working of the water cycle. Even if a little upset, it can trigger enormous ecological changes. The following are the points that show the importance of Rainfall in nature:
- Rain showers are helpful in the growth of plants so without rain, no plant will be able to develop.
- Most of the freshwater on Earth is deposited by rain, which is a significant part of the water cycle. It aids in the survival of various ecosystems and sustains them.
- It supplies water to hydroelectric facilities, which use it to produce energy.
- As a method of irrigation for crops on big fields, it is particularly beneficial for their growth.
- It aids in maintaining the groundwater level.
- Rainwater is used by people to preserve water for later use in bathing, cooking, cleaning, and drinking. This method is called Rain harvesting which keeps a garden clean and healthy while also lowering water expenditures because it offers a backup supply of water when there are limits.
- Rain contributes to atmospheric cooling and lowers the Earth’s extreme temperature. Therefore, when it rains during the Summer, it is a huge relief.
- It improves air humidity and tops off the water table.
- It aids in producing beneficial negative ions.
- Through a water cycle, it redistributes the fresh water.
When it is simply raining, we can appreciate how beautiful rain is. Rain is one of the most crucial natural occurrences that sustains life on Earth since it is necessary for agriculture, forests, and, eventually, human survival. As a result, it aids in producing food and supplying water.
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Causes of Rain
Water is always moving, thus rain that has recently fallen where you live could have been ocean water only a few days earlier. In addition to the ocean, water can be found on land, in the atmosphere, and underground as well. The water cycle is a procedure that puts it to use once more. This cycle involves the transformation of water (which is water vapour) from a liquid to a solid to a gas. Water vapour enters the atmosphere through the process of evaporation. In the atmosphere, using energy from the sun, the water that is on top of seas, rivers, and lakes is afterward transformed into water vapour. This vapour can also be released by snow and ice. The water vapour ascends into the atmosphere, where it eventually condenses into tiny droplets of water.
These small droplets then combine to form clouds. When they are all united, they get bigger and become too heavy to stay in the air. They will then begin to fall to the ground as rain, snow, or hail due to gravity, resulting in rainfall. The majority of the rain that falls after it stops flows into the rivers, lakes, and streams that eventually empty into our oceans. Snow and ice continue to exist on the Earth’s surface, just like glaciers and other kinds of ice.
What is a Water Cycle?
One of the most crucial natural processes, the water cycle, aids in the movement of water through the soil and air in the form of precipitation, such as rain and snow, drainage and evaporation, and vaporization. These cycles are crucial in controlling the Earth’s climate because natural processes are always in a state of equilibrium.
Moreover, Rain is one of the most popular methods for replenishing soil water from the atmosphere. So that the ecological balance does not become out of control, these natural processes must work in sync.
Process of Water Cycle
Consider the water that is present in the soil at the surface. This water evaporates when the sun is shining because of the heat it generates. Water from the soil becomes light and evaporates as a result, slowly making its way into the atmosphere.
The temperature begins to drop as soon as it begins to depart the soil. As a result, the water vapour becomes heavier than it was before it evaporated. When clusters of these water vapour particles are turned into clouds by the chilly temperature, condensation takes place.
Eventually, clouds become too huge and heavy to hold all of the moisture. When water in that scenario returns to the land as rain, the process is known as precipitation. As a result, the cycle practically never ends and goes on forever.
Process of Rain Formation
As we have described above, every stage of the water cycle is accompanied by a natural process that involves water changing from liquid to vapour. The water cycle primarily involves the processes listed below:
- Evaporation
It is the process through which some of the liquid water from lakes, rivers, and the ocean changes into vapour and travels in the atmosphere with the aid of sunlight. When air rises in the atmosphere, it becomes cooler, under less pressure, and unable to contain as much water, thus the vapour condenses into tiny water droplets or ice crystals to form a cloud.
- Condensation
The dust and pollen particles in the uppermost air contribute to condensation, the process by which water vapours turn into water droplets. Dust, pollen, and other particles that help clouds develop and rain are referred to as condensation nuclei.
- Cloud Formation
Tiny ice or water crystals or droplets that float in the air are known as clouds. Due to their small size, they may float. The evaporation process carried out by the sun causes the air to become wet or moist. This humid air rises from the earth’s surface and ascends higher only to cool down even more. Droplets are created when airborne water vapour condenses at high enough altitudes. These existing raindrops give off the impression of clouds to us. Droplets in the atmospheric air stop rising further once they reach a point known as the frost point.
Dewdrops in the sky eventually congregate to create huge water droplets, which are collectively referred to as clouds. Millions of droplets begin to gravitate toward the clusters, making them heavier. The temperature and pressure of the atmosphere affect how many droplets there are in a cloud.
When these clouds become more dense and saturated, precipitation—what we refer to as rain—falls from them to the ground. Larger water molecules fall to the ground as a result of cooler temperatures in an area, resulting in snow or hailstones.
Different Ways of Cloud Formation
Clouds are even formed in different ways as mentioned below:
Some clouds are created as air near the Earth’s surface warms up and rises. The heat from the sun helps to warm the ground and the air immediately above it, which begins to rise and form clouds.
When the wind is forced upward to go higher in the atmosphere by the slopes of a mountain range or other terrain, certain clouds known as lenticular and stratus clouds are formed. This promotes the development of clouds.
Some clouds are formed when air is pushed upward at low-pressure zones. All varieties of clouds, including stratus, altostratus, cirrocumulus, and altocumulus, are created as a result of this process.
What is Precipitation?
Any kind of water that condenses in the atmosphere of the Earth and subsequently falls to the planet’s surface is referred to as precipitation. Water vapour or suspended water droplets are accumulated in the Earth’s atmosphere. Fog and clouds in the atmosphere are also caused by water vapour. When water vapour and other materials, including dust, mix, clouds are formed.
These minuscule materials, known as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), cause precipitation to condense or form around them. Clouds eventually become excessively saturated with water vapour, causing the precipitation to change into a liquid (rain) or a solid (snow).
So, Precipitation is an important part of the water cycle and it falls to the ground in the form of snow and rain. At one point or another, it evaporates and returns to the atmosphere as a gas. It becomes solid or liquid again in clouds before falling to Earth once more. People depend on precipitation to provide fresh water for drinking, bathing, and irrigating food crops.
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Types of Precipitation
Precipitation is of different types or it occurs in different forms including rain, hail, and snow. Let’s explore each of the terms for a better understanding:
- Rain
Rain is precipitation that falls as water droplets at the Earth’s surface. Raindrops form around small cloud condensation nuclei, such as dust particles or pollutant molecules. Sleet or ice pellets are the names for rain that originate from clouds but freeze before it reaches the ground. Even though raindrops in cartoons often resemble tears, the genuine raindrop is spherical.
- Hail
Cold storm clouds cause hail. It forms when extremely cold water droplets freeze or turn solid when they come into contact with particles of dirt or dust. The hailstones are blown up into the cloud by the storm. Before the hailstone hits the ground, it picks up more ice droplets. Hail falls as a stone of solid ice, as opposed to sleet, which starts as a liquid and then solidifies when it hits the ground. Although hailstones are typically the size of small boulders, they can occasionally reach a diameter of 15 centimeters (6 inches) and weigh more than one pound.
- Snow
Precipitation that comes down in the form of ice crystals is called snow. Hail is ice, even though hailstones are merely collections of ice-covered water droplets. Snow, on the other hand, has a complex structure. Individual ice crystals create snowflake clusters after adhering to one another as they fall from the sky. Snowfall happens when multiple individual snowflakes start to fall from the sky. In contrast to a hailstorm, snowfall is usually silent. Hailstones are hard, whereas snowflakes are gentle. Depending on the temperature and humidity of the air, snowflakes take on a variety of designs.
Graupel is the name for snow that falls as a ball rather than as gentle flakes. This occurs when a snow crystal melts and a ring of precipitation forms around it. Snow can only occur at temperatures around or below freezing, which is 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit). Snow that hits warmer ground immediately melts upon touch.
How and Why Does Rain Occur?
Rain is a part of the earth’s ongoing water cycle. Sunlight warms the water on the surface of the earth at the beginning of the cycle. The water evaporates or transforms into water vapour as a result of the heat. The air is filled with water vapour. The water vapour transforms back into water droplets when it cools. Large quantities of these droplets come together to form clouds. In a cloud, smaller water droplets combine to generate larger liquid drops. Eventually, the drops become too heavy to stay in the cloud. As it begins to rain, they drop to Earth, restarting the water cycle. Water droplets can freeze into ice crystals in the clouds. The ice crystals may occasionally melt as they drop towards the earth. This is yet another method of formation of rain so that’s how rain occurs.
Water turns into vapour in the air when it is sufficiently heated. When a quantity of air rapidly cools below its saturation point, the water vapour condenses into clusters of minuscule water droplets and frozen water crystals. We refer to these groups as clouds. The droplets and crystals that form clouds have the capacity to draw more water to themselves over time. Raindrops form when water droplets get sufficiently heavy and are drawn down by gravity. The ice crystals can develop large enough to fall as snow, sleet, freezing rain, or hail if the air is cold enough to keep them frozen. So this is why rain occurs.
The final words
So overall, the ongoing water cycle on Earth includes rain. At the beginning of the cycle, sunlight warms the water on the earth’s surface. The water evaporates or transforms into water vapour as a result of the heat. Water vapour permeates the entire atmosphere. When it cools, the water vapour condenses back into water droplets. Droplets are formed around dust and other particles as a result of condensation. Large quantities of these droplets come together to form clouds. Smaller water droplets in a cloud mix to form larger drops of liquid. Eventually, the drops become too heavy to stay in the cloud. They fall to the ground like rain. and the water cycle starts over.
We hope you found this article informative and it has provided you a clear understanding of why and how rain occurs along with the processes involved in the rain formation.
