Drought's Cruel Radar Image: False Rain

Radar image from around 8 a.m. this morning 
appears to show light rain over northern Vermont.
It's almost entirely virga, which is rain
that was coming from the clouds but
evaporating before it could hit the ground. 

 The drought continues on in Vermont.

We awoke to a generally cloudy sky this Saturday morning.  A quick check of the National Weather Service/South Burlington  radar looked like a little light rain was moving in.

But nope! 

This morning's radar did indicate light rain coming from the clouds overhead. But the air is dry. So dry, that what little rain is coming from the high overcast is evaporating in the arid air overhead. 

Rain that comes from the clouds but doesn't make it to the ground is called virga.

It's another example of drought sustaining itself. 

The weather pattern continues to bring dry air from the interior of the continent.  We can't seem to get any real airflow from the Atlantic, or the Gulf of Mexico. No humid air for us! Thus, no rain. 

The dry ground around here is not adding any moisture to the air, either.  Sometimes, when we've already had a lot of rain, the soggy ground adds humidity to the air. Enough so that the rain falling from the clouds on a day like today would actually hit the ground. 

It wouldn't be a big rainstorm, but it will be an additional light wetting. 

This morning, the ground is dry, the air is dry.  So a weak, marginal weather system that might have otherwise given us a wee bit of light rain is producing nothing. 

I suppose a few rain drops might find their way to the ground in some spots between now and Sunday morning, but it won't make any difference. The last forecasts that indicated we might see a little measurable rainfall have largely evaporated. A few places in the north might see 0.05 inches or less. Not enough to help at all.  

The upcoming week features another long stretch of dry, sunny weather. In fact, the next six or seven days starting tomorrowwill probably be warmer than the past few days. Some afternoons coming up could reach into the low 80s. The higher the temperature on sunny days with low humidity, the higher the evaporation rates.

The drought will continue to worsen.