Friday Trivia: All about the rain

Whilst on the topic of weather (last Friday was about cyclones) I often hear the weatherman telling me we may have a "shower or two" or "a few showers" and typical me, wondered what it really meant - here are my findings!!

Some made me laugh!! 

Showers: Usually begin and end suddenly. Relatively short-lived, but may last half an hour. Often, but not always, separated by blue sky. 

 

Rain: In contrast to showers, rain is steadier and normally falls from stratiform (layer) cloud. Liquid water drops greater than 0.5 mm in diameter.

 

Drizzle: Fairly uniform precipitation composed exclusively of very small water droplets (less than 0.5 mm in diameter) very close to one another.

 

Thundery rain: Rain with embedded thunderstorms.

 

Shower or two: Not many, less than a few. Used to describe showers occurring infrequently.

 

Few showers: Not many, amounting to a small number. Used to describe a small number of showers over a time period.

 

Isolated showers: Showers which are well separated in space (ie. generally covering 10 to 25% of the area) during a given period.

Local showers: Restricted to relatively small areas.

 

Patchy showers: Usually associated with rain. Occurring irregularly over an area (ie. generally covering 10 to 25% of the area).

 

Scattered showers: Irregularly distributed over an area (ie. generally covering 25 to 55% of the area). Showers which, while not widespread, can occur anywhere in an area. Implies a slightly greater incidence than isolated.

 

Widespread: 

For rain: Occurring extensively throughout an area (ie. generally covering 25 to 55% of the area). 

For showers: Occurring extensively throughout an area (ie. generally covering over 55% of the area).

 

Source: Bureau of Meteorology

 

 

~oOo~