So Many Rain Terms, What Do They All Mean?

So Many Rain Terms, What Do They All Mean?

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Story Published: Apr 21, 2003 at 8:05 PM PST

Story Updated: Mar 13, 2008 at 12:13 PM PST

By Steve Pool

SEATTLE - In an earlier column, we talked about the difference between rain and showers. But there's other terms we use:

Drizzle is a term used for a very light, fine rain. The drops tend to be very small and not very dense. Mist is similar to drizzle, only the number of drops in any given area is greater. This is usually the case on heavy fog days.

As for showers, "isolated" and "spot" showers mean just a couple of showers spread over a wide area, and that most of the area is dry. "Scattered" showers mean more shower coverage -- maybe 30-60 percent coverage of the area. "Frequent" or "widespread" showers mean a large area of coverage.

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