Friday, July 10, 2009

Rain

Since we have become so very very familiar with rain this summer I figured a list of "rain facts" would keep us right in the same summer mood we're now accustom to.




1. Rain drops are really NOT shaped like tear drops…they look more like hamburg buns with a flat bottom.
2. Larger raindrops can split into many small ones as they fall to the ground.
3. Raindrops hit the ground at a speed of approximately two meters per second.
4. Rain has a PH level of about 5.6.
5. In Botswana the word “pula” means both rain and money reflecting the importance of rain to the economy of the region.
6. The pleasant scent of summer rain comes from a chemical called petrichor which is found in plants and released into the atmosphere during rain storms.
7. The city of Seattle has taken a bad rap when it comes to rain. Seattle averages 37.1 inches of rain a year, less than New York City which averages 46.2 inches.
8. The rainiest city in the United States is Ketchikan, Alaska which averages 200 inches a year.
9. The highest recorded rainfall in one year was in 1861 in Cherrapunji, India when 904.9 inches fell.

10. And Finally if we all click our heals three times and say “I want it to go away, I want it to go away, I want it to go away".... the rain may stop and the sun just may come out.