On Earth, there are very rainy places and below are the original rainfall records ever recorded by meteorologists. So,

The highest rainfall over various time periods

Highest rainfall per minute

The greatest amount of precipitation that fell in one minute is 31.2 millimeters. This meteorologist record was set on July 4, 1956 in the vicinity of Unionville.

Maximum rainfall per day

A real ecumenical flood occurred on the island of the Reunion located in the Indian Ocean. For a day from March 15 to March 16, 1952, 1870 millimeters of rain fell there.

The highest rainfall per month

The record for monthly rainfall is 9299 millimeters. It was observed in the Indian city of Cherapundji in July 1861.

The highest amount of rainfall per year

Cherapundji is also the champion in the highest annual rainfall. 26 461 millimeters - so many of them fell in this Indian city from August 1860 to July 1861!

The highest and lowest average annual rainfall

The rainiest place on Earth, with the highest rainfall recorded on average per year, is Tutunendo in Colombia. The average annual rainfall there is 11,770 millimeters.
The antipode of Tutunendo is the Chilean desert of Atacama. The outskirts of the city of Kalama located in this desert have not rained for more than four hundred years.

Precipitation - water in a liquid or solid state, precipitating from clouds or precipitating from air to the earth's surface.

Rain

Under certain conditions, cloud drops begin to merge into larger and heavier ones. They can no longer be held in the atmosphere and fall to the ground in the form the rain.

Hail

It happens that in summer the air rises quickly, picks up rain clouds and carries them to a height where the temperature is below 0 °. Raindrops freeze and fall as hail (fig. 1).

Fig. 1. The origin of the city

Snow

AT winter time in temperate and high latitudes, precipitation falls in the form snow. The clouds at this time do not consist of water droplets, but of the smallest crystals - needles, which, when joined together, form snowflakes.

Dew and hoarfrost

Precipitation falling on the earth’s surface not only from the clouds, but also directly from the air, is dew and frost.

The amount of precipitation is measured by a rain gauge or rain gauge (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2. The structure of the rain gauge: 1 - outer casing; 2 - funnel; 3 - capacity for collecting oxen; 4 - measured tank

Classification and types of precipitation

Precipitation is distinguished by the nature of precipitation, by origin, by physical condition, seasons of precipitation, etc. (Fig. 3).

By the nature of the precipitation, rainfall, cover and drizzle are possible. Rainfall - intense, short-lived, occupy a small area. Precipitation - medium intensity, uniform, long (can last for days, capturing large areas). Drizzle - precipitation falling on an insignificant territory.

Precipitation is distinguished by origin:

• convective - characteristic of a hot belt, where heating and evaporation are intense, but often in the temperate zone;
• frontal - are formed when two air masses meet different temperature and drop out over warm air. Typical of temperate and cold zones;
• orographic - fall out on the windward slopes of the mountains. They are very plentiful if the air comes from the warm sea and has a large absolute and relative humidity.

Fig. 3. Types of precipitation

Comparing to climate map annual precipitation on the Amazonian lowlands and in the Sahara desert, you can verify their uneven distribution (Fig. 4). What is the reason for this?

Precipitation brings moist air masses forming over the ocean. This is clearly seen in the territories with monsoon climate. The summer monsoon brings a lot of moisture from the ocean. And over land it rains for a long time, like on the Pacific coast of Eurasia.

Constant winds also play a large role in the distribution of precipitation. Thus, trade winds blowing from the continent bring dry air to the north of Africa, where the Sahara, the most extensive desert in the world, is located. Westerly winds bring rain from the Atlantic Ocean to Europe.

Fig. 4. The average annual distribution of precipitation on land

As you already know, sea currents affect precipitation in the coastal parts of the continents: warm currents contribute to their appearance (Mozambique current off the eastern coast of Africa, Gulf Stream off the coast of Europe), cold currents prevent precipitation (Peruvian current off the western coast of South America) .

The terrain also affects the distribution of precipitation, for example, the Himalayan mountains do not allow moist winds blowing from the Indian Ocean to the north. Therefore, on their southern slopes sometimes up to 20,000 mm of precipitation falls annually. Wet air masses, rising along the slopes of the mountains (ascending air currents), cool, become saturated, and precipitation falls out of them. The territory north of the Himalayan mountains resembles a desert: there is only 200 mm of rainfall per year.

There is a relationship between belts and rainfall. At the equator - in the low-pressure belt - constantly heated air; rising up, it cools and saturates. Therefore, in the equatorial region, many clouds form and heavy rains occur. A lot of precipitation falls in other areas of the globe, where low pressure prevails. At the same time, air temperature is of great importance: the lower it is, the less precipitation falls.

In high pressure belts, downward air currents prevail. The air, falling, heats up and loses the properties of the state of saturation. Therefore, at latitudes 25-30 ° precipitation rarely and in small quantities. In high pressure areas, the poles also have little rainfall.

The absolute maximum rainfall registered on about. Hawaii (Pacific Ocean) - 11 684 mm / year and in Cherapunji (India) - 11 600 mm / year. The absolute minimum is in the Atacama desert and in the Libyan desert - less than 50 mm / year; sometimes precipitation for years does not fall at all.

The characteristic of humidification is humidification coefficient - the ratio of annual precipitation and evaporation over the same period. The humidification coefficient is denoted by the letter K, the annual rainfall is indicated by the letter O, and the evaporation is indicated by And; then K \u003d O: I.

The lower the coefficient of moisture, the drier the climate. If the annual amount of precipitation is approximately equal to evaporation, then the moisture coefficient is close to unity. In this case, hydration is considered sufficient. If the moisture index is greater than one, then the moisture excess less than one - insufficient. With a moisture coefficient of less than 0.3, moisture is considered meager. Zones with sufficient moisture include forest-steppes and steppes, and zones with insufficient moisture include deserts.

Where is the most rainfall? and got the best answer

Reply from I "ll be better [guru]
In the very center of the island of Kauai in the group of Hawaiian Islands is located, the peak of which is one of the most rainy places on the planet. It rains there almost always, and 11.97 meters of precipitation falls annually. This means that if the moisture did not flow down, then for a year the mountain would be covered with a layer of water the height of a four-story house. At the very top, almost nothing grows - of all the plants, only algae are adapted to live in such a phlegm, everything else there simply rots. But around the top there is a riot of greenery.

The closest rival to Vayaleale in terms of celestial abyss is near the Himalayas, in India. But if on Waialale it's raining all year round, then on Cherrapunji all this precipitation breakthrough with some impossible rain falls in three summer months. The rest of the time there ... drought. In addition, no one lives in Waialale, Cherrapunji is the rainiest of the inhabited places.

Warm and humid monsoon streams near Cherrapunji make a sharp rise between the Khashi and Arakan mountains, so the amount of precipitation here increases sharply.


To this day, the population of Cherrapundzha recalls 1994, when the record total rainfall for the entire time of observation fell on the tiled roofs of their houses - 24,555 mm. Needless to say, there was nothing like this in the whole world.
However, do not think that heavy clouds hang over this city all year round. When nature softens a little and the bright sun rises over the surroundings, then a beam of amazingly beautiful rainbow hangs over Cherrapunji and the surrounding valley.
Quibdo (Colombia) can compete with precipitation in Cherrapunji: for 7 years, from 1931 to 1937, an average of 9,564 mm of precipitation fell here per year, and in 1936 19,639 mm of precipitation were recorded. A high rainfall rate is also characteristic of Debundzhe (Cameroon), where for 34 years, from 1896 to 1930, an average of 9,498 mm fell, and the maximum rainfall (14,545 mm) was observed in 1919. In Buenaventura and Angota (Colombia), the annual rainfall is close to 7,000 mm, in some places in the Hawaiian Islands it is in the range of 6,000 ... 9,000 mm.
In Europe, Bergen (Norway) is considered a rather rainy place. However, in the Norwegian town of Samnanger, there is even more rainfall: over the past 50 years, the annual rainfall here has often exceeded 5,000 mm.
In our country, the highest rainfall occurs in Georgia, in the region of Chakva (Adjara) and in Svaneti. In Chakva, the average annual rainfall is 2 420 mm (extreme values \u200b\u200bof 1 800 ... 3 600 mm).
Source:

Answer from Dudu1953[guru]
In the village of Gadyukino.

Answer from Shvidkoy yuri[guru]
Cherrapunji (India) - the wettest place on Earth
In terms of rainfall over the year, the wettest place in the world is Tutunendo in Colombia - 11,770 mm per year, almost 12 meters. On the 5th floor of the Khrushchev five-story building will be knee-deep.

Answer from Valent[guru]
Probably the rainiest place in the world is Mount Waialale in Hawaii, on the island of Kauai. The average annual rainfall is 1197 cm.
Cherrapunji in India, perhaps, takes the second place in the amount of precipitation with an average annual level of 1079 to 1143 cm. Once 381 cm of rain fell in Cherrapunji in 5 days. And in 1861 the amount of precipitation reached 2300 cm!
To make it more clear, let's compare the amount of rainfall in some cities in the world. London receives 61 cm of precipitation a year, Edinburgh - about 68 cm, and Cardiff - about 76 cm. In New York, about 101 cm of rain falls. Ottawa in Canada receives 86 cm, Madrid - about 43 cm and Paris - 55 cm. So, you see, what is the contrast of Cherrapunji.
In some vast regions of the Earth, heavy rains occur all year round. For example, almost every point along the equator receives 152 cm or more of rainfall each year. The equator is the junction of two large air currents. Throughout the equator, air moving down from the north meets air moving up from the south.

Answer from Vadim Bulatov[guru]
Many factors determine how much rain or snow falls on the earth's surface. This is the temperature, altitude, location of mountain ranges, etc.
Probably the rainiest place in the world is Mount Waialale in Hawaii, on the island of Kauai. The average annual rainfall here is 1197 cm. Cherrapunji in India, possibly takes the second place in the amount of rainfall with an average annual level of 1079 to 1143 cm. Once 381 cm of rain fell in Cherrapunji in 5 days. And in 1861 the amount of precipitation reached 2300 cm!
To make it more clear, let's compare the amount of rainfall in some cities in the world, London receives 61 cm of rainfall per year, Edinburgh - about 68 cm, and Cardiff - about 76 cm. In New York, about 101 cm of rainfall. Ottawa in Canada receives 86 cm, Madrid - about 43 cm and Paris - 55 cm. So, you see, what is the contrast of Cherrapunji.
The driest place in the world is probably Arica in Chile. Here, the rainfall is 0.05 cm per year.
In some vast regions of the Earth, heavy rains occur all year round. For example, almost every point along the equator receives 152 cm or more of rainfall each year. The equator is the junction of two large air currents. Everywhere along the equator, air moving down from the north meets air moving up from the south.

Over the entire history of mankind, a lot of evidence, stories and legends about major floods have accumulated. The reason for this is simple: there have always been floods. Primitive people deliberately settled in the valleys located on the flood path - because the land here was fertile. What is a flood? This is a condition where water comes out of the coast and spreads everywhere.

What causes flooding? - accumulation of large amounts of water in the river as a result of heavy rains. Water may come from other sources or reservoirs from where it flows into the river. A river is usually washed by a large area, or “pool,” and a strong flow of water from anywhere in this pool causes the water level in the river to rise and flood the banks. Some floods are very useful. The Nile, for example, every year since time immemorial, along with spilled water, brings fertile silt from the highlands.

On the other hand, the Yellow River in China periodically causes death and destruction. For example, in 1935, due to the spill of this river, 4 million people were left without a roof over their heads! Can floods be prevented? Perhaps this is impossible, because heavy rains occur regardless of the will of man. But great efforts are being made to curb floods, and someday, probably, it will be done.

There are three ways to curb floods. One of them is to build dams and make embankments to protect agricultural land in places where water reaches. The second way is to set up channels for emergency cases, or weirs to drain excess water. The third way is to contain large reservoirs for the accumulation of water and its gradual discharge into large flows.

Precipitation that falls in different corners of our planet is not the same, in some places it rains almost every day, while other regions suffer from drought. The article examines the question at what latitudes most precipitation falls.

Blue ball and latitude concept

Before proceeding to the consideration of the question at what latitudes the amount of precipitation falls the greatest, it is necessary to remember what our planet is and what is latitude.

Since our planet is a ball (strictly speaking, it is a geoid), we use the angular coordinates: longitude and latitude to determine the position of objects on its surface.

Latitude means the angle between the equator line and a certain point on the terrain, while the vertex of the angle in the center of the Earth is located, and the arc drawn along the surface of the planet between the point and the equator in question should pass along the meridian, that is, be perpendicular to the equatorial line. This line divides earth all in two equal parts: the northern hemisphere and the southern. The set of coordinates of one latitude on the surface of the planet is called parallel.

According to this definition, the equator line will have 0 o latitude, and the North and South poles +90 o and -90 o latitude, respectively. All parallels between 23 o north latitude (tropic of Cancer) and 23 o south latitude (tropic of Capricorn) form the so-called tropical climate zone. Parallels located between 23 o and 66 o latitude in each hemisphere belong to the temperate climate zone. Finally, the areas located between 66 o and 90 o are polar earth zones.

The amount of solar radiation - the main factor determining the level of rainfall

At what latitudes is the highest rainfall? Of course, in places where high humidity is observed. Precipitation, which is the precipitation of water on the earth’s surface in the form of rain or snow, can exist only when the atmosphere contains a high percentage of water vapor, which, rising and cooling, condenses into clouds, and then returns to the ground.

To saturate the air with water vapor, huge energy is needed to transfer water from liquid to gaseous state of aggregation. This energy on an earthly scale can only be obtained from sunlight. Therefore, answering the question of where the greatest amount of precipitation falls, we can say with confidence that in the latitudes that receive the greatest amount of solar energy.

Equator and tropical zones of the planet

Since the planet Earth has a spherical shape, the rays from the Sun fall on its various latitudes at different angles. At the equator, they are perpendicular to the surface, so low latitudes receive maximum radiation from our star. With increasing latitude, the angle of incidence of the rays becomes smaller and the amount of solar energy is reduced.

This means that the correct answer to the question in which latitudes of precipitation the greatest amount will be the following: in the tropical zone, that is, between the tropics of Capricorn and Cancer.

Note that within the tropical zone, usually two types of climate are distinguished:

• equatorial, which is characterized by average annual temperatures of 18-27 ° C and a lot of rain that occurs here almost every day;
• actually tropical, here the temperature regime experiences more severe fluctuations throughout the year (10-30 ° C), and rainfall is uneven (there is a drought season and a rainy season).

Other factors affecting rainfall

In addition to solar radiation, which contributes to the evaporation of water and the formation of clouds, the presence of this same water is necessary. The air masses that carry rains with them form over the oceans and seas. This means that the highest rainfall occurs due to rains on island states and countries that are located in the tropical zone near the coastline of the continents. So, if you look at the map, you can see that countries such as Chad or Saudi Arabia ( south part), are located in the tropical zone, but since they are located far from the oceans, rains in most of their territory are a rare occurrence.

In addition to the distance from the oceans, here are two more factors that can affect the level of precipitation:

• Monsoons. These are winds that blow in the summer from the ocean, and in the winter from the continent, so in summer the amount of precipitation in the zones they reach increases.
• Mountainous terrain. When the sea air mass meets mountains on its way, then it cannot overcome them. Wet air, gradually rising along the mountain slopes, it cools, the water vapor in it condenses and falls to the ground in the form of rain. That is why the greatest amount of precipitation falls in the foothills.

Specific areas with a lot of rain

As it was found above, the greatest amount of precipitation falls in the latitudes of tropical and equatorial. Below are examples of places on earth where torrential rains often occur:

• Vaialeale Volcano, Hawaiian Islands. In this mountainous zone, which intercepts all the rain clouds passing through it, the rainfall is estimated at 11,500 mm per year.
• Milford Track New Zealand. Hundreds of rivers, waterfalls and lakes are the main characteristic of the landscape of this place. Rainfall averages 6000-8000 mm per year.
• Jungle Borneo, Malaysia. This selva is virgin. Annual precipitation here is about 5000 mm.
• Yakushima, Japan. This is an island that is covered with dense forests. From 4,000 to 10,000 mm of precipitation is recorded here, depending on the year.
• Cherapundji, India. For a long time, this Indian territory was considered the rainiest on the planet. About 11430 mm of precipitation per year is recorded here.

As can be seen from the above list, the greatest amount of precipitation falls in equatorial latitudes on islands with mountainous terrain.

The rainiest place on earth

Choco is a Colombian department located in the north-west of the country on the Pacific coast. The largest amount of precipitation falls here, according to some estimates it is 13,000 mm per year. The reasons why it rains here, according to locals "35 days a month", are not only the proximity of Choko to the equator and The pacific, but also the fact that the department is located in a zone of low air pressure, which attracts many marine air masses.