Forecast: Rainy

The current forecast for today is overcast and rainy. When I was preparing for the weather this morning, I became mindful of the process that produces rain. Rain is not just water falling from the air; rain can only be produced under specific conditions. 1.) The air high in the atmosphere must become saturated with water vapor. This saturated state can be produced from several different sources including: plant transpiration, evaporation of water from oceans or other bodies of water and virga (rain that falls from high in the atmosphere and evaporates before it reaches the surface of the earth). When the air becomes saturated this forms a cloud. 2.) The cloud must reach a temperature which is below its' dew point. 3.) When the temperature drops below the dew point, the water vapor begins to condense into liquid water droplets. 4.) The water droplets fall due to gravity and have to resist evaporation until they reach the surface of the earth producing rain. Rain is essentially the condensation of the atmosphere onto the surface of the earth.