Virga (Noun)
Meaning
Light wispy precipitation that evaporates before it reaches the ground (especially when the lower air is low in humidity).
Classification
Nouns denoting natural phenomena.
Examples
- The dark thunderstorm clouds hung low in the sky, but instead of rain, only virga reached as far as the dry rooftops before disappearing.
- Although an occasional rain shower fell elsewhere in the state, the virga dissipated harmlessly over the dry desert landscape.
- An unusual storm swept through, its bottom layers so dry they devoured all the virga before any of it reached the thirsty plants below.
- While the radar showed large swaths of precipitation moving through the area, much of it turned out to be virga that never made landfall.
- In regions where such dry storms were common, forecasters might confidently predict storms while also warning of virga rather than actual rain.