Where does rain come from?

Pitter, patter. Pitter, patter. It is raining.

You put on your wellies and splash in a puddle. Splosh. But have you ever wondered where the rain comes from, and where it goes?

Let’s follow one tiny drop of water.

Our drop is in the sea. The sun shines down and warms it. Slowly, the drop turns into something you cannot see, called water vapour, and floats up into the sky. This is called evaporation. The same thing happens when a puddle dries up on a sunny day.

High up in the sky it is cold. Our drop cools down and joins millions of other tiny drops, clinging to specks of dust. Together they make a cloud. Clouds look fluffy and light, but a single big cloud can hold as much water as hundreds of elephants weigh.

Clouds come in different shapes. Fluffy white ones that look like cotton wool are called cumulus. Thin, wispy ones high up are called cirrus. Big, dark, heavy ones that often bring rain are called nimbus clouds. You can learn to spot them.

The tiny drops bump into each other and join up. They grow bigger and heavier, until the cloud cannot hold them any more. Down they fall. Rain.

And here is a surprise. Raindrops are not shaped like teardrops at all. Small ones are round, like little balls. Bigger ones are squashed flat on the bottom as they fall, like a tiny burger bun.

Our drop lands on a hill. It trickles into a stream, then a river, and the river carries it all the way back to the sea. Then the sun warms it again, and up it goes.

Not all water goes straight back to the sea. Some soaks into the ground and is drunk by tree roots. Some is frozen in ice for thousands of years. And some is in you: more than half of your body is water.

Round and round, for millions of years. The water in your glass today might once have been a drop of rain on a dinosaur.

Rain makes the plants grow. Seeds that have been sleeping in dry ground wake up and sprout. Grass turns green. Farmers smile.

Muslims read in the Qur’an that God sends down blessed water from the sky. With it He makes gardens and grain grow, and brings dead land back to life. When it rains, many Muslims say a short prayer, asking God to make it a helpful rain.

Jewish people sing a Psalm that praises God, “Who covereth the heaven with clouds, Who prepareth rain for the earth”. From autumn to spring, their daily prayers praise God who makes the wind blow and the rain fall.

Christians remember that Jesus said God sends rain on everyone, good and bad alike.

So next time it rains, do not grumble. Listen to it. Watch the drops race down the window. Every one of them has been on a very long journey.

Watch together

▶Water's Amazing Journey | SciShow Kids · SciShow Kids

Water’s amazing journey round the water cycle, for children.

▶NASA | Earth's Water Cycle · NASA Goddard

NASA shows how water moves around our whole planet.

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