How much is ‘one inch’ of rainfall?

Water falls on earth in the form of precipitation, such as snow or rain. Rainfall is the main form of precipitation. The amount of rainfall may vary from region to region. It could be 0.1 inch per year in deserts and 900 inches per year in the tropics. If a one inch rainfall occurred in one acre of land, it would weigh 113 tons.

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Evaporation to precipitation – Time taken by a droplet of water

Water evaporates from oceans, seas, rivers, etc., and rises up in the atmosphere. At the height of several thousand kilometres, these vapours condense to form clouds and eventually droplets. By this time, the droplet may have travelled many miles from its place of origin. Once the droplets reach a certain size, typically 6 mm in diameter, they begin to fall from a great height and would travel thousands of miles.

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