precipitable water

American  

noun

1. the total water vapor contained in a unit vertical column of the atmosphere.

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Etymology

Origin of precipitable water

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Thursday “showed the highest level of precipitable water in the atmosphere, for winter, since 1948,” said Matt Moreland, meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service office in Rancho Bernardo.

From Los Angeles Times

Precipitable water — a measure of how much moisture is in the air over a certain location — was off the charts in Louisiana that week. Day after day, data from weather balloons showed precipitable water that came close to or exceeded any other weather event on record in the region.

From Washington Post

This flooding was caused by two weather-related features: extreme humidity and near-stationary low pressure that hovered over the Gulf Coast for days. There were also incredible numbers measured for precipitable water — or how much moisture is in the air at any given time. In a statement issued Thursday, the National Weather Service noted that the amount of moisture in the atmosphere was “astoundingly high.”

From Washington Post

The animated global map of total precipitable water is so freaking cool I can’t even stand it.

From MSNBC

Hoerling said in this storm, the amount of precipitable water measured in the atmosphere was record-high.

From Scientific American