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Why does it rain more in some places than others?

Some places get much more rain than others. This can be because of the amount of water nearby, the direction of the wind, and how close they are to mountains. Why do these make a difference?

In this article you can learn:

  • Why it rains more in some places than others
  • How clouds form
  • What a rain shadow is

This resource is suitable for weather topics for primary school learners.

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Video - Why it rains more in some places than others

Watch this video to discover what causes it to rain more in some places than others.

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What is the water cycle?

Rain is a type of . It is part of the .

  1. - the sun heats up water on land, in rivers, lakes and seas and turns it into .
  2. - the water vapour rises into the air. Water vapour in the air cools down and changes back into tiny drops of liquid water, forming clouds.
  3. - the clouds get heavy and water falls back to the ground in the form of rain, hail, sleet or snow.
  4. Rain water runs over the land and collects in lakes or rivers, which take it back to the sea. The water cycle starts all over again.

Learn more about the different stages of the water cycle here: What is the water cycle?

Water cycle diagram showing evaporation, condensation and precipitation
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Why do some places get more rain?

Source of water

  • If there is more water for the sun to , there will usually be more clouds and more rain. This water could come from the sea, lochs, rivers and even garden ponds!
  • Scotland, and the rest of the UK, is surrounded by sea so there is lots of water for the sun to evaporate. This makes it quite rainy compared to countries that are far .

Wind direction

  • Most of the wind in Scotland come from the west, known as westerly winds or westerlies.
  • Westerlies bring warm moist air from over the North Atlantic Ocean.
  • Warm wet air is perfect for forming clouds - meaning more rain!
  • That's why the west coast of Scotland is often rainier than the east coast.

Mountains

  • For clouds to form, the air temperature needs to be cold enough for water to from water vapour into tiny liquid water droplets.
  • Mountains are great at cooling air down.
  • Westerly winds blow warm wet air from the sea onto the land and the mountains force the air upwards. As the air rises, it cools down. The vapour turns back into drops of water, forming clouds. Clouds bring rain.
  • This is why places up high tend to be wetter.
  • On the other hand, mountains can also shelter places from wind and rain. This is called a rain shadow.
Image gallerySkip image gallerySlide 1 of 3, Tourists walking on the shore of Loch Lomond in the rain, Source of water The amount of water nearby can affect the amount of rain we get. If there is more water for the sun to evaporate, there will usually be more clouds and more rain. This water could come from the sea, rivers or lochs.
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Key words

Key words about rain

  • the water cycle - How water travels from the Earth's surface, up into the sky and back to Earth again.
  • evaporate - When water turns from a liquid into a gas (water vapour).
  • condense - When water turns from a gas (water vapour) into a liquid.
  • precipitation - Moisture that falls from clouds. Snow, rain, hail and sleet are all examples of precipitation.
  • water vapour - Water when it is an invisible gas.
  • westerly winds - Warm moist winds which bring rain from the Atlantic.
  • annual rainfall - How much rain a place gets every year.
  • rain shadow - Places that are sheltered from wind and moisture by mountains.
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Test your knowledge

Interactive map

Click on the map of Scotland below to find out how much annual rainfall each place gets.

Question

Can you think of any features that might affect how much rain the places on this map get?

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Challenge

Challenge

Investigate how much rain your area gets each year.

Can you compare where you live with some other places? Which is wetter? Can you work out why?

Some ideas to think about:

  • Do you live close to the sea or another large body of water?
  • How close are you to the west coast where westerly winds bring warm wet air?
  • Do you live near a mountain that is cooling the air?
  • Are you in a ?
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More about rain and the water cycle

What is rain? revision-guide

It rains quite a lot in Scotland but what is rain and where does it come from?

What is rain?

The water cycle. revision-guide

Rain is an important part of the water cycle. Find out more.

The water cycle

Hydroelectric energy

Find out how we can use rain water to generate renewable electricity.

Hydroelectric energy is a type of energy that uses the power of moving water (hydropower) to generate electricity.

Hydroelectricity. revision-guide

We can harness all the rain we get in Scotland to generate renewable energy

Hydroelectricity
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