virga

American  

[vur-guh] / ˈvɜr gə /

noun

(used with a singular or plural verb)

1. streaks of water drops or ice particles falling out of a cloud and evaporating before reaching the ground (praecipitatio ).

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virga British  

/ ˈvɜːɡə /

noun

1. (sometimes functioning as plural) meteorol wisps of rain or snow, seen trailing from clouds, that evaporate before reaching the earth

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virga Scientific  

/ vûr′gə /

1. Light wisps of precipitation streaming from a cloud but evaporating before reaching the ground, especially when the air below is low in humidity.

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Etymology

Origin of virga

1935–40; < Latin: rod, streak

Example Sentences

That leads to virga, which is rain that appears to be dropping from a cloud but evaporates before it reaches the ground.

From Los Angeles Times

In a pattern referred to as virga, the moisture in the middle layers of the atmosphere will fall as rain, but evaporate before hitting the ground, Dumas said.

From Los Angeles Times

“A lot of it that’s falling is what we call virga,” Lund said.

From Los Angeles Times

Precipitation counts as drizzle when the drops are smaller than that and virga when the drops are so small they don’t reach the ground.

From Seattle Times

Rain that doesn’t reach the ground is called virga.

From Los Angeles Times