A Conversation for SEx - Science Explained
SEx: Rain
IctoanAWEWawi Started conversation May 15, 2009
Can anyone explain what exactly is happening when you get rain but there are no clouds about?
Not sure how universal this phenomenon is, but it happens certainly in the middle and south east of England, albeit only very, very rarely.
I assume that either a) it is light clouds way up formed of ice but not thick enough to obscure the light much, b) clouds high up that rained then passed on and there's a delay in the rain reaching the ground (how long does rain take to reach the ground?) or c) high up wet air forming ice crystals but not densly enough to form clouds, or not enough uplift to form clouds.
Just idly wondering
SEx: Rain
Lanzababy - Guide Editor Posted May 15, 2009
Interesting question - I would like more information. How much rain exactly, just a few spots or a proper shower? Are you near to trees, tall buildings or in the complete open when this happens?
The few times when I have thought it was raining and looked up to blue sky have been when it was really quite windy and the rain clouds were distant, and the rain was blowing sideways from them. The reason I asked about tall buildings near you was that the actual rain cloud might be out of your line of sight. This happens frequently in Lanzarote where the clouds can hold tropical amounts of water and there is usually a very stiff breeze.
Another cause can be that drops of water blow off soaking wet trees for quite a way.
I'd be interested to hear other points of view.
SEx: Rain
IctoanAWEWawi Posted May 15, 2009
light rain, I'd say, summer shower sort (well, only time we get clear skies is summer so must be! )
No tall buildings and not droplets off trees or other large objects.
Don't recall it being very windy, but then I'm only talking about ground level, could be very windy higher up so blown off course is a viable method
SEx: Rain
Mu Beta Posted May 15, 2009
Some people pay good money for that sort of thing.
Not me.
Obviously.
Ahem.
B
SEx: Rain
2legs - Hey, babe, take a walk on the wild side... Posted May 15, 2009
This happened to me when I was over in Suffolk a err while back ago at my DAds, we were out on the patio, and it 'showered' down for maybe five or so minutes, not that* hard, and no sign of clouds, no tall buildings to obscure clouds, and we were at the top of what passes for a hill in those flat fenland areas NO trees by there either and it'd not rained in days
I'd just pressumed it must be very err non dense clouds that just didn't really have enough water in it to make it appear as a cloud...
SEx: Rain
Traveller in Time Reporting Bugs -o-o- Broken the chain of Pliny -o-o- Hired Posted May 16, 2009
Traveller in Times playing with a high pressure cleaner
"I can always be the neigbour washing his rooftop
Or perhaps some kids using their super soakers. "
SEx: Rain
2legs - Hey, babe, take a walk on the wild side... Posted May 16, 2009
Sadly neither those explinations would work for where I was... Its a pretty detached house far enough away from the road and neighbours...
SEx: Rain
Titania (gone for lunch) Posted May 18, 2009
I've experienced this kind of rain too, even out in an open field with a blue sky and no clouds within sight - and always a very light summer rain. And no wind at ground level.
One other aspect of rain that has always mystified me is when you see a sharp line on a road between wet road (from rain) and dry road. An absolutely straight line right across the road and, as mentioned, sharp.
If you look at a cloud, it doesn't seem to have any straight sides, and you'd think it'd be thinner around the edges - so how can the line between wet and dry be so sharp? And why is it never stretching diagonally across the road, but always straight across?
SEx: Rain
six7s Posted May 18, 2009
Ictoan
>> Not sure how universal this phenomenon is, but it happens certainly in the middle and south east of England, albeit only very, very rarely.
I recommend a visit to the sub-tropical conservatory at Kew Gardens, esp on a cool/cold day... to raise the temp and humidity, they pump steam into the air (or, at least, they used to) and every so often, for just a second or three, it... ... precipitates rain!
SEx: Rain
six7s Posted May 18, 2009
Titania
>> An absolutely straight line right across the road and, as mentioned, sharp.
If you look at a cloud, it doesn't seem to have any straight sides, and you'd think it'd be thinner around the edges - so how can the line between wet and dry be so sharp? And why is it never stretching diagonally across the road, but always straight across?
I can think of three possible explanations:
You travel roads that are perpendicular to OR parallel with the dominant wind direction when its raining
The timing of your observations of this phenomenon have simply coincided with the 'necessary' weather patterns
Your brain, like that of most humans', is wired to count 'hits' as more important than 'misses'
http://www.mindtweaks.com/wordpress/?p=439
[quote]
While the bias often leads us to cling to false conclusions, there’s actually a good reason our brains are set up that way.
Here’s how it works:
Let’s say we were lost in the wilderness, searching for food.
By chance, we stumble across a blackberry bush, with a handful of luscious ripe berries. We eat them, then look for more bushes. The next five bushes we find don’t have any berries on them, but the sixth bush we check has enough fruit to feed us for two days.
In this situation, our survival depends on our giving more importance to the time we found the berries, than the times that we came up empty handed.
[/quote]
See also: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=confirmation+bias+hits+misses&btnG=Search
Key: Complain about this post
SEx: Rain
- 1: IctoanAWEWawi (May 15, 2009)
- 2: Lanzababy - Guide Editor (May 15, 2009)
- 3: IctoanAWEWawi (May 15, 2009)
- 4: Whisky (May 15, 2009)
- 5: Mu Beta (May 15, 2009)
- 6: 2legs - Hey, babe, take a walk on the wild side... (May 15, 2009)
- 7: Lanzababy - Guide Editor (May 16, 2009)
- 8: Traveller in Time Reporting Bugs -o-o- Broken the chain of Pliny -o-o- Hired (May 16, 2009)
- 9: 2legs - Hey, babe, take a walk on the wild side... (May 16, 2009)
- 10: Titania (gone for lunch) (May 18, 2009)
- 11: six7s (May 18, 2009)
- 12: six7s (May 18, 2009)
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