Home
Weather London
WeatherRadar
RainfallRadar
TemperatureRadar
WindRadar
LightningRadar
Weather News
Editor's Pick
Discover the app
Weather widget
Contact us
Apps
Career
    Home / Editor's Pick /

    Where does rain come from?

11:00
13 February 2022

Weather explained
Where does rain come from?

There's no shortage of rain across the UK and Ireland this weekend with more downpours all day today, but do you know where the rain comes from?

To put it simply, rain comes from clouds. When air parcels rise to a certain level they condense into water droplets and form clouds.

Inside the clouds the water droplets will collide with others creating bigger water droplets. As the droplets get bigger, they get heavier and when they become too heavy they begin to fall to the ground as rain.

Watch our weather explained video below to learn more:

Ryan Hathaway
More on the topic
Severe damage along the Adriatic coast. Huge hail and storms. . . Wednesday, 22 July 2026
Two hands are holding huge hailstones; next to them is a weather map showing thunderstorms and frequent lightning over the Adriatic coast and the western Balkans.
Wednesday, 22 July 2026

Huge hail and storms

Severe damage along the Adriatic coast
Heat becoming a bigger factor in drought. New study. . . Thursday, 23 July 2026
A hand holds dry, dusty earth above a parched field. The ground is cracked and covered with plant debris – a sign of prolonged drought.
Thursday, 23 July 2026

New study

Heat becoming a bigger factor in drought
Typhoon warning for China. Up to 500 mm of rain. . . Friday, 24 July 2026
Weather map of the southern Chinese coast and Taiwan showing a powerful tropical cyclone. The eye of the storm is located near the coastal city of Shantou in the Chinese province of Guangdong. Around the centre, intense shades of red, pink and violet indicate gale-force winds, whilst a large orange wind field extends as far as the west coast of Taiwan. An overlaid windsack warning sign indicates dangerous storm winds. Cities such as Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Xiamen, Taipei and Taichung are shown, as are wind speeds and white flow lines illustrating the cyclonic air circulation.
Friday, 24 July 2026

Up to 500 mm of rain

Typhoon warning for China
All weather news
This might also interest you
A frozen start to the weekend. Icy conditions. . . Friday, 13 February 2026
UK temperature map dated 14.02 showing widespread subzero values in blue shading, with readings such as −4 in Glasgow, −3 in Dublin, and −2 in London, alongside a blue thermometer icon.
Friday, 13 February 2026

Icy conditions

A frozen start to the weekend
New records for England and Wales. Broken again tomorrow?. . . Thursday, 25 June 2026
Temperature map of southwest Britain on 25.06 showing extreme heat across southern Wales and southwest England, with Bute Park in Cardiff highlighted at 34.2°C and Yeovilton at 36.4°C amid widespread deep red heat zones.
Thursday, 25 June 2026

Broken again tomorrow?

New records for England and Wales
Seasonal warmth between spring thunder. Your weather - Your shots. . . Sunday, 19 April 2026
Split image showing coastal sunset with layered lenticular clouds over rooftops and palm trees on the left, and a green valley with river and hills under soft daylight on the right.
Sunday, 19 April 2026

Your weather - Your shots

Seasonal warmth between spring thunder
All articles
Weather & Radar

Weather & Radar is also available on

Google Play StoreApp Store

Company

Contact us Privacy Policy Legal info Accessibility statement

Services

Uploader

Socials

facebooktwittertikToklinkList