• Question: why doesit rain

    Asked by hello123 to Daniel, Derek, Ian, Phil, Upul on 21 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Derek Mann

      Derek Mann answered on 18 Jun 2010:

      There is generally water in the air all around us, but water condenses in clouds to make small water droplets, these water droplets can join up to make larger heavier droplets which then become too heavy for the cloud to hold on to them and so they fall out of the clouds and make rain 🙂

    • Photo: Daniel Mietchen

      Daniel Mietchen answered on 20 Jun 2010:

      Several possible scenarios, whose common element is that air has a limited capacity (mainly depending on temperature) to carry water (or ice) with it. Once that capacity is reached, the superfluous water has to go somewhere, and gravity pulls it down to Earth.

    • Photo: Ian Sillett

      Ian Sillett answered on 21 Jun 2010:

      Well, we have water on this planet because the temperature is right. However, the temperature is at about the right warmth to mean water exists in all three forms, ice, water and water vapour. It rains when the liquid water evaporates and rises into the atmopshere through convection. When it reaches a certain height it condenses back into water. Water is heavier than air so it eventually has to fall back to earth, as rain.

      Why does it always rain when you’ve got a bbq planned? Don’t know.

Comments