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VIR [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 2004-10-01

English

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

supplementary features: Peculiarities sometimes shown by certain clouds, for example, hanging protuberances of pouch-like appearance, precipitation trails, etc.

OBS

A particular cloud may have several supplementary features simultaneously. The different supplementary features are: arcus (arc), incus (inc), mamma (mam), praecipitatio (pra), tuba (tub), virga (vir).

French

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

particularités supplémentaires : Nuages attenant à la partie principale d'un nuage, généralement plus petits que ce dernier, comme par exemple, des protubérances pendantes ayant l'aspect de mamelles, des traînées de précipitations, des lambeaux de nuages bas, etc.

OBS

Un même nuage peut présenter simultanément une ou plusieurs particularités supplémentaires. Les diverses particularités supplémentaires sont : incus (inc), mamma (mam), virga (vir), praecipitatio (pra), arcus (arc), tuba (tub).

OBS

Les nuages peuvent présenter des parties caractéristiques qui sont appelées, lorsqu'elles sont attenantes à leur partie principale, «particularités supplémentaires» et, lorsqu'elles sont séparées, «nuages annexes».

Spanish

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

particularidades suplementarias: Características especiales que presentan a veces ciertas nubes; por ejemplo, las protuberancias colgantes con aspecto de bolsa, las estelas de precipitación, etc.

OBS

Una nube dada puede mostrar simultáneamente una o más particularidades suplementarias que son las siguientes : arcus(arc), incus(inc), mamma(mam), praecipitatio(pra), tuba(tub), virga(vir).

Save record 2

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