Rain terms: Many you’ve never used, but will

I love the smell after a rain. I can’t describe the smell, but you know what I’m referring to. But did you know that smell has a name? Crazy, right? Actually, several unusual words are used for rain and stormwater. Use these words to impress your friends or keep them in mind for the next time you have family trivia night. I mean, we all find ourselves somewhere on the spectrum as Pluviophile. Don’t know what that means, skip down to number seven.

1. Mizzle: Very fine, misty rain or drizzle that almost appears like a fog.

2. Hydrometeorology: The study of the processes involving water in the atmosphere and their relationship to weather and climate.

3. Anvil cloud: The flat, spreading top portion of a mature thunderstorm that often resembles an anvil or mushroom shape.

4. Rainshadow effect: The phenomenon where one side of a mountain or geographic feature receives significantly less rainfall due to the prevailing winds forcing the moisture to rise and condense on the windward side.

5. Graupel: A type of precipitation consisting of snowflakes and supercooled water droplets that freeze upon contact, resulting in soft, white ice pellets.

6. Petrichor: The pleasant, earthy smell that occurs when rain falls on dry soil or rocks.

7. Pluviophile: A person who enjoys and finds peace or joy in rainy weather.

8. Virga: Rain that falls from a cloud but evaporates before reaching the ground.

9. Squall line: A line of intense, organized thunderstorms often associated with a cold front.

10. Rain shadow: A region that experiences significantly less rainfall due to the blocking effect of a mountain range.

11. Nimbus: A type of cloud associated with rain or precipitation.