What is virga and what is it associated with?

Virga refers to precipitation that falls from a cloud but evaporates before it reaches the ground. This phenomenon often occurs in dry air masses where the surrounding atmosphere is not saturated with moisture. As rain or snow begins to fall, the hydrometeors encounter the drier air and lose moisture through evaporation. This creates a visual effect where streaks of rain can be seen coming from the base of a cloud, but no rain actually reaches the Earth’s surface. Virga is commonly associated with certain types of clouds, particularly cumulonimbus, which can produce significant amounts of precipitation in short bursts. Understanding virga is important for meteorology because it highlights the interactions between precipitation and atmospheric conditions, particularly humidity levels.