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Rain
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Images & Videos
Heavy rain pours off the edge of a sloped roof, with streams of water cascading down in front of trees in the background.
A large window looking at a forested exterior, four hand-drawn blue raindrops, and a hand holding a phone displaying a pie chart showing a 60% chance of partly cloudy skies, and a 40% chance of rain.
How Do Clouds Float?
What Is Cloud Seeding?
thunderstorm: rain and lightning A vertical rain shaft descends over the sea during a colorful tropical sunset, with silhouetted hills and coastline at Man-of-War Bay, Tobago. Thematic map of the Guinea Coast region in West Africa showing the distribution of major ethnic groups and average annual rainfall. Coastal and southern areas, including parts of Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, and Cameroon, are shaded in green and purple to indicate higher rainfall, while northern and inland regions are shaded in yellow and orange for lower rainfall. Major ethnic groups such as Temne, Mende, Yoruba, Igbo, and Ashanti are labeled within their respective reg Global distribution of mean annual rainfall (in centimetres). Graph of monsoon rainfall in India, 1871–1981. Annual rainfall amounts are depicted as percentages departing from the 110-year average. The red line superimposed on the graph suggests a recurring trend over this time period.
How does desert dust from the Sahara affect global climate?
Quizzes
Lightning over a farm field. Weather electricity thunderstorm light energy tree
Facts You Should Know: Weather Quiz
Umbrella colored like a rainbow sticking out above a sea of black umbrellas while it rains. (storm, weather)
Weather Words Vocabulary Quiz
rain. Child in the rain, wearing a rain coat, under a yellow umbrella. April Showers weather climate rain storm water drops
April Showers to March’s Lions and Lambs
Thunderstorm cumulonimbus clouds above Montana. weather storm thunderstorm atmospheric disturbance cumulonimbus clouds thunder and lightning Homepage blog 2011, science and technology
Clouds and Cloud Types
Iceland, Glacier lagoon (Jokulsarlon)
Winter Weather Words Quiz

Rain: References & Edit History

Article Contributors

Primary Contributors

  • The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
    Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.

Other Encyclopedia Britannica Contributors

Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Article title updated for style. Nov 10, 2026
Add new Web site: University of Washington Libraries - Fundamentals of Climate Change - Ups and Downs of Rain. Jul 11, 2026
Media added. May 08, 2025
Media added. Jun 03, 2024
Video and link added. May 31, 2023
Add new Web site: Weather Wiz Kids - Rain and Floods. Feb 15, 2019
Add new Web site: National Geographic - Rain. Feb 15, 2019
Removed table. Aug 14, 2018
Corrected display issue. Jun 15, 2018
Add new Web site: Science Kids - Fun Science and technology For Kids! - Rain. Dec 23, 2016
Add new Web site: CoolKidFacts.com - How is Rain Formed? Dec 23, 2016
Add new Web site: Kids Geo - Kids Geography - Moisture In The Atmosphere. Sep 13, 2016
Add new Web site: Weather for kids - Rain. Sep 13, 2016
Add new Web site: Discovery Kids - Why does it rain? Sep 13, 2016
Media added. Aug 28, 2008
Added new Web site: How Stuff Works - Science - What causes the smell after rain? Jun 29, 2008
Article added to new online database. Jul 20, 1998
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