Engineering behind "Rain"

The Cycle of Water

Scientists explain the origin of rain via what is referred to as, “The Cycle of Water”. Typically the water cycle can be broken down into five main events including evaporation, condensation, precipitation, infiltration, and surface runoff. Below is a brief description of each event in the order in which they occur.

1. Evaporation. Water has the ability to transform into a gas, liquid, or solid. Evaporation occurs when water goes from a liquid state to a vaporous state. In term of the cycle of rain, this occurs as a result of the heat from the brazing sun, beaming down on large bodies of water such as oceans. The heat from the sun causes small amounts of ocean water to turn into vapor; the vapor then begin to rise into the air. Evaporation can occur at any temperature, however it tends to occur at a faster pace with warmer temperatures.

2. Condensation. As the water vapor from the ocean rises into the air, it begins to cool down again. As a result, the water vapor then begins to return to its liquid state which causes the formation of tiny water droplets. These trillions of water droplets all come together to form the huge clouds that we see in the sky.

3. Precipitation. If the clouds, formed by the condensed water droplets, become heavy enough, they then begin to fall out of the sky. The result of this is either rain or snow depending on how cold temperatures are.

4. Surface Runoff. Surface runoff is the process in which water travels across the ground. The water can be infiltrated (as defined below), accumulated in wells and holes within the ground, flow back into large bodies of water, or evaporated back into the air.

5. Infiltration. Infiltration occurs after the rain and refers to water soaking into the ground as a mean to provide moisture for the soil.

Although a rainy day can sometimes put a damper on outdoor plans, it is important to remember that rain is both necessary and beneficial. Not only does it put moisture back into the ground which allows farmers to grow and harvest the food that we eat, but it also cools the air down so that those hot summer days are a little less hot.

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