Meteorology Bleg

[kent_allard_jr]

New York is going through another warm spell, and people often respond to these by saying, "man, I can't wait for the rain to come and cool things off!"

I always thought this was a bit of spurious correlation: While the water has a short term cooling effect, rain itself doesn't lead to milder weather; instead the rain is caused by the drop in temperature. Here's what I thought happened:

1. A cold front moves into an area of warm, moist air;
   
2. The warm air is pushed up above the cold air;
   
3. It cools as it rises;
   
4. As it cools, small droplets of water condense;
   
5. which fall as rain.

Is this more or less correct, or am I missing something?

Comments

[barking-iguana.livejournal.com]

When I was young, rain would generally be followed by lower humidity, though not necessarily a drop in temperature. For at least the last 15 years, I don't think it's worked that way.

[bigscary.livejournal.com]

Well, yes, though also the drop in humidity mentioned by dvd. But really, it's just shorthand for "Uch, hot summer rain. Well, at least it will be more pleasant after."

[womzilla.livejournal.com]

Among the other effects, condensation pulls warmth out of the air, so cloud-soaked skies are cooler than clear skies. So the rain itself is cooling, as well as a symptom of cooler air.