Can you tell me the difference between drizzle, sprinkle, showers, rain and soakers?
Drizzle (or mist) falls from flat stratus clouds (called nimbo-stratus when they produce precipitation)...are generally 1/2 of a millimeter in diameter (or less)...and the rate of rainfall is generall 0.03 /hour or less. Rain also falls from nimbo-stratus clouds...but falls at a rate of 0.04 /hour or more...and the raindrops have a diameter greater than 1/2 of a millimeter. Showers fall from puffy, towering Cumulo-nimbus clouds...and are very localized...unlike rain. A sprinkle is simply a popular term for a light shower...while a soaker is a slang term for a heavy shower.