Have you ever wondered why there are so many rain showers during the month of April?
With Spring finally making its arrival, it’s clear that the Indiana weather hasn’t spared Muncie of any rain reason in recent weeks. Severe thunderstorms rolled in earlier last Sunday, and rain showers are expected to stick around for the next few days.
But why all this rain?
Spring is the rainiest season of the year, as measured by the number of days with precipitation, according to The Weather Channel. During spring, the best precipitation dynamics of winter and summer converge, and in the upper atmosphere, jet streams remain strong and the air holds on to some winter chill. At the surface, sunlight is strong, warming the ground, water and lower atmosphere.
Warm, moist air is less dense than cold dry air, causing it to rise into the colder upper atmosphere, squeezing out moisture into precipitation, across most of the northern hemisphere. Not surprisingly, this abundance of atmospheric energy and moisture is why the peak of the severe weather season occurs in spring.
Wait, what?
Basically, Spring is a perfect time for rain showers to develop because it needs to be warm and moist for rain to fall.
As the spring mornings turn into spring afternoons, the weather gets warm and cumulus clouds form and gather in the sky. When heating allows for the clouds to reach ever higher into the sky, these clouds become heavy with moisture. Water droplets grow larger and larger. As these water droplets get too heavy to be kept in the sky, they fall as rain.
Many spring showers occur without thunder and lightning, but often, a spring rain shower can develop into a spring thunderstorm.
Specifically for Indiana, April isn’t actually the the rainiest month of the year, however. In fact, July averages almost two more inches of monthly precipitation, averaging 4.42 inches of measurable precipitation, followed closely by May with 4.35 inches.
However, it’s important to note that April is the heaviest month for severe weather, including dangerous thunderstorms, flooding and tornadic weather, according to the Indianapolis Forecast Office.
So, what should you take from all of this? Well, open a window, listen to the low rumbling thunder and remember that there could still be more rain.