Types of rain: What are showers?

Through the month of April we are prone to seeing plenty of showers across the UK and Ireland.

Showers are short bursts of rain, often locally variable. They are produced by cumulus clouds, which form as warm air rises, cools and condenses. If there are strong enough updrafts then these cumulus clouds can grow into thundery cumulonimbus clouds.

During winter, when the sea is warmer than the land, showers are most prevalent over the water. But as we head into spring and summer, the land starts to heat up more rapidly and showers become more concentrated there instead.

Showers aren't just triggered by daytime heating though, they also source from low pressure systems alongside longer spells of rain. During spring time, the jet stream shifts northwards and starts driving in more unsettled weather.

Both bring wet weather, so what's the real difference? Well, they originate from different types of clouds.

Showers are convective and come from cumulus or cumulonimbus clouds, often forming and dissipating within short periods of time and often over localised areas. They can be heavy or light and develop between sunshine.

Rain (albeit also a generic word for the precipitation) comes from flat-layered stratus clouds and can often hang around for several hours and is accompanied by a blanket of dark grey cloud.