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Where Rain Comes From
Rain is part of the precipitation stage of the water cycle. It is similar to snow or hail, which occur during cold temperatures. If the weather is above freezing, precipitation should fall as rain. Water on the ground evaporates over time. This water vapor rises into the air, where it eventually condenses into clouds. This water vapor is stored in the atmosphere until the temperature at that level cools to the point where it becomes liquid again. Once the water becomes heavy enough, it falls to the Earth as rain.
Natural Disasters
Rain in reasonable quantities is absolutely essential for life. However, at times rain comes down too hard or too quickly or is combined with too much wind. The results are severe storms that lead to intense damage and flooding. Hurricanes, monsoons and typhoons are all natural disasters that include heavy rainfall. Scientists do not yet understand all the characteristics of these particular weather systems. As a result, they are not always predictable.
Acid Rain
When rain falls, it does not always consist of pure water. Acid rain is rain that includes harmful chemicals or pollutants and more nitric or sulfuric acids than is normal. When pollutants, such as the fumes that come from industrial exhaust, are released into the atmosphere, the chemicals bond with the water vapor stored in the atmosphere. When the rain eventually falls, it contains traces of those chemicals.
Rainbows
Raindrops affect light differently than air does. When light enters a raindrop, it splits into the component colors of the visible light spectrum. When enough light passes through enough raindrops at the right angle, the visible light is reflected in the form of a rainbow. For this to happen, the sun has to be behind the rain you look at and at the correct angle to cause the refraction effect.