Rain is a form of precipitation, other forms of which include snow, sleet, hail, and dew. Rain forms when separate drops of water fall to the Earth's surface from clouds. Not all rain reaches the surface, however; some evaporates while falling through dry air. When none of it reaches the ground, it is called virga, a phenomenon often seen in hot, dry desert regions.

Rain in nature

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Rain plays a major role in the hydrologic cycle in which moisture from the oceans evaporates, condenses into clouds, precipitates back to earth, and eventually returns to the ocean via streams and rivers to repeat the cycle again. There is also a small amount of water vapor that respires from plants and evaporates to join other water molecules in condensing into clouds.

The amount of rainfall is measured using a rain gauge. It is expressed as the depth of water that collects on a flat surface, and can be measured to the nearest 0.27 mm or 0.01 in. It is sometimes expressed in litres per square metre (1 liter/m² = 1 mm).

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