


Virga or fall streaks are a form of precipitation that evaporates before it hits the ground. Low humidity and high temperatures can cause rain to evaporate completely right after its release from a cloud. At high altitudes, the precipitation falls mainly as ice crystals before melting and finally evaporating.
Virga also has a role in seeding storm cells. It seeds the storm with small particles from one cloud that are blown into neighboring supersaturated air and act as “food” for the next storm cloud to start forming.
Virga can produce dramatic and beautiful scenes during a sunset. The light can be caught by the streamers of falling precipitation and light it up into so many beautiful colors.
This post was written by Cyndi Kahlbaum on August 30, 2010

























