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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.

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 is measured to the nearest 0.25mm.

Falling raindrops are often described as "tear-shaped", round at the bottom and narrowing towards the top, but this is incorrect (only drops of water dripping from some sources are tear-shaped at the moment of formation). Small raindrops are nearly spherical. Larger ones become increasingly flattened, like hamburger buns; very large ones are shaped like parachutes. On average, raindrops are 1-2 mm in diameter. The biggest raindrops on Earth were recorded over BrazilThis article is about Brazil, the country. For other article subjects named Brazil see Brazil (disambiguation). The Federative Republic of Brazil Republica Federativa do Brasil in Portuguese) is the largest and most populous country in South America. and the Marshall IslandsThe Republic of the Marshall Islands is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, located north of Nauru and Kiribati, east of the Federated States of Micronesia and south of the U. island of Wake. Republic of the Marshall Islands ( In Detail) Official langu in 20042004 is a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 2004 calendar), and has also been designated the: International Year of Rice International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition Elections are to be held in 73 co - some of them were as large as 1cm. The large size is explained by condensation on large smokeFor the movie starring Harvey Keitel, see Smoke (movie); for the cigar aficionado magazine, see Smoke (magazine) Smoke is a suspension in air of small particles resulting from incomplete combustion of a fuel. It is commonly an unwanted by-product of fires particles or by collisions between drops in small regions with particularly high content of liquid water.

Several cultures have developed means of dealing with rain and have developed numerous protection devices such as umbrellaAn umbrella is a device used for temporary shade or shelter from precipitation. They can be made by stretching a fabric or other material over a wire frame. Umbrellas carried by hand are now usually used as rain shields, although their first use was for ss and raincoatThe raincoat a garment worn to protect the upper body from rain, is a compromise between fashion and utility. Important styles of raincoat, often associated with particular manufacturers, are listed below. Mackintosh Gannex waxed jacket (e. made in UK bys. Many people also prefer to stay inside on rainy days, especially in tropical climates where rain is usually accompanied by thunderstormEnschede, The Netherlands. A thunderstorm is a form of severe weather characterized by the presence of lightning and its attendant thunder. It is often accompanied by copious rainfall, or, on occasion, snowfall. Thunderstorms form when significant condenss.

Generally, rain has a pHAlternate uses: see Ph pH (potential (of) hydrogen) is a measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions (H+) in a solution and, therefore, its acidity or alkalinity. The concept was introduced by S. Sorensen in 1909. The p stands for the German potenz mean slightly under 6, simply from absorption of atmospheric carbon dioxide, which dissociates in the droplet to form minute quantities of carbonic acid. In some desert areas, airborne dust contains enough calcium carbonate to counter the natural acidity of precipitation, and rainfall can be neutral or even alkaline. Rain below pH 5.6 is considered acid rain.