Rain vs. Showers

Viewers may not pay much attention to TV broadcast; however, weather forecasters often use terms that may seem quite ordinary at first, but are actually technical jargons in the realm of weather forecasting. These include the terms rain and shower.

Meteorologists and weather experts alike have all come to accept these terms because they help delimit the definition of some confusing weather phenomena. These terms are also said to be more consistent and accurate in labeling such occurrences. Yes, rain and shower are two of the most common terms that are used to describe the weather. So how do these two terms differ? To avoid further confusion, and to stop the interchangeable use of both terms, continue to read.

Rain is considered to be a more widespread phenomenon. When it is a rainy day, or when it rains, one will see the pouring of rainwater in almost all (or all) areas. This rainy episode also lasts for a longer time. Rains are also thought to originate from stratus clouds.

Conversely, showers are more dispersed than rain. In this connection, there are various forms of showers, or precipitation distributions classified. Isolated showers are those that are divided during a certain time frame. Secondly, local showers is rain that happens in a much smaller area of coverage. There are also the so-called patchy showers. From the word ‘patchy,’ this shower happens irregularly within a specific area.

Although this occurrence is also classified as a form of rain, another characteristic of showers is that they do not cover a wide geographic area, hence the term local showers as mentioned above. This simply means that it may pour (rain) in the downtown area, while it is still dry at the residential districts. You may have already witnessed many instances where you have actually seen showers. In this regard, it shouldn’t be a surprise for some if they see it raining somewhere far north, while their location remains fairly dry without any sign of rain whatsoever. Moreover, showers are often seen to last for a shorter time than real rain. They also start, and or end, more abruptly than rain. Lastly, showers (usually coming from cumulus clouds) can be accompanied with heavy rainfall, and even hail, but it is less steady than the more common rain.

Overall, rain and showers differ in the following aspects:

1. In terms of coverage, rain usually covers a much wider area compared to showers.

2. In terns of duration, rain usually lasts longer than showers.

3. In terms of occurrence, showers often start and end more abruptly (sudden) compared to rains.

4. In terms of origin, rain comes from stratus clouds, whereas showers are normally from cumulus cloud formations.

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