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FALLSTREAK [2 records]

Record 1 2004-11-08

English

Subject field(s)
  • Atmospheric, Climatic and Meteorological Phenomena
DEF

Streaks or wisps of precipitation, such as water or ice particles, that fall from clouds but evaporate before reaching the ground.

CONT

Virga is frequently seen trailing from altocumulus and altostratus clouds, but also is discernible below the bases of high-level cumuliform clouds from which precipitation is falling into a dry subcloud layer. It typically exhibits a hooked form in which the streaks descend nearly vertically just under the precipitation source but appear to be almost horizontal at their lower extremities. Such curvature of virga can be produced simply by effects of strong vertical wind shear, but ordinarily it results from the fact that droplet or crystal evaporation decreases the particle terminal fall velocity near the ends of the streaks. Under some conditions, virga are associated with dry microbursts, which are formed as a product of the evaporation.

CONT

They are actually altocumulus clouds from which precipitation is falling. Such trails of water droplets or ice particles are called virgae (or sometimes fallstreaks) and, by definition, do not reach the ground.

OBS

virga. From a distance, the event sometimes may be mistaken for a funnel cloud or tornado.

OBS

virga. This supplementary feature occurs mostly with Cirrocumulus, Altocumulus, Altostratus, Nimbostratus, Stratocumulus, Cumulus and Cumulonimbus.

OBS

In the consulted sources, plural of "virga" is "virga" or "virgae".

OBS

Some authors consider "fall streaks" and "fallstreaks" as synonyms of "virga". Compare "fall streaks".

OBS

Fall streaks are the wisps that can sometimes be seen falling below high, thin cirrus clouds. They are ice crystals that fall out of the cloud but evaporate as they fall into drier air below. Fall streaks are analogous to another phenomenon known as "virga," which is rain falling from lower clouds and evaporating before it reaches the ground.

PHR

Virga of altocumulus, cirrocumulus, rain, snow.

Key term(s)
  • precipitation trail
  • fallstreak
  • fall streak
  • fall-streak
  • fall-streaks
  • virgae

French

Domaine(s)
  • Phénomènes météorologiques, climatiques et atmosphériques
DEF

Traînées de précipitations [pluie, neige ou cristaux de glace], verticales ou obliques, attenantes à la base d'un nuage et n'atteignant pas la surface terrestre.

CONT

Tant que les gouttelettes, ou les cristaux de glace sont petits, ils restent dans le nuage. Mais leur coalescence conduit à leur chute sous l'effet de la pesanteur. Parfois la précipitation n'atteint pas le sol, l'eau s'évapore en altitude et sous le nuage se distingue une sorte de frange appelée virga.

CONT

Altocumulus castellanus. Des filaments de neige en chute apparaissent sous la base de ces nuages, mais la précipitation (appelée virga) n'atteint pas le sol puisqu'elle s'évapore avant. Le virga est composé de cristaux de glace et de flocons de neige.

OBS

Cette particularité supplémentaire se présente, le plus souvent, avec les Cirrocumulus, Altocumulus, Altostratus, Nimbostratus, Stratocumulus, Cumulus et Cumulonimbus.

Key term(s)
  • traînée de précipitation

Spanish

Campo(s) temático(s)
  • Fenómenos meteorológicos, climáticos y atmosféricos
DEF

Estelas de precipitación, verticales u oblicuas, unidas a la superficie inferior de una nube, que no llegan a la superficie de la Tierra.

OBS

Esta particularidad suplementaria se observa principalmente en los Cirrocumulus, Altocumulus, Altostratus, Nimbostratus, Stratocumulus, Cumulus y Cumulonimbus.

Save record 1

Record 2 2004-10-28

English

Subject field(s)
  • Atmospheric, Climatic and Meteorological Phenomena
DEF

fall streaks : ... falling ice crystals that evaporate before reaching the ground.

CONT

Fall streaks form when snowflakes and ice crystals fall from cirrus clouds. The change in wind with height and how quickly these ice crystals fall determine the shapes and sizes the fall streaks attain. Since ice crystals fall much more slowly than raindrops, fall streaks tend to be stretched out horizontally as well as vertically. Cirrus streaks may be nearly straight, shaped like a comma, or seemingly all tangled together. Similar to fall streaks is virga, which appears as streamers suspended in the air beneath the base of precipitating clouds.

CONT

A Fall streaks are the wisps that can sometimes be seen falling below high, thin cirrus clouds. They are ice crystals that fall out of the cloud but evaporate as they fall into drier air below. Fall streaks are analogous to another phenomenon known as "virga," which is rain falling from lower clouds and evaporating before it reaches the ground.

OBS

fallstreak; fall streak: terms usually used in the plural (fallstreaks; fall streaks).

Key term(s)
  • fall-streak
  • fallstreaks
  • fall streaks
  • fall-streaks

French

Domaine(s)
  • Phénomènes météorologiques, climatiques et atmosphériques
CONT

Cirrus (Ci). Traînées filamenteuses de délicats nuages blancs formés de cristaux de glace et qui ressortent sur le bleu du ciel. Ils peuvent avoir de nombreuses formes : celles de flocons isolés, de panaches en forme de plumes ou de traînées de cristaux de glace en chute dans la direction des vents. [...] Le cirrus est un nuage générateur de précipitations, mais celles-ci s'évaporent avant d'atteindre le sol.

OBS

traînée de cristaux de glace : terme fréquemment utilisé au pluriel (traînées de cristaux de glace).

Key term(s)
  • traînées de cristaux de glace

Spanish

Save record 2

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