The maximum amount of precipitation falls on which part of the planet?

Atmospheric precipitation is moisture that falls on the surface of the Earth from the atmosphere. They accumulate in the clouds, but not all of them give moisture to the surface of the planet. To do this, it is necessary that droplets or crystals can overcome the resistance of the air, gaining enough mass for this. This is due to the connection of drops with each other.

Diversity of precipitation

Depending on how the sediments look and from what state of water they are formed, they are divided into six types. Each of them has its own physical characteristics.

Main types:

• Rain - drops of water with a size of 0.5 mm;
• Drizzle - water particles up to 0.5 mm;
• Snow - ice crystals of hexagonal shape;
• Snow croup - round kernels with a diameter of 1 mm or more, which can easily be squeezed by fingers;
• Ice croup - rounded cores, covered with ice crust, which jumps when falling to the surface;
• Hail - large ice particles of round shape, which can sometimes weigh more than 300 g.

Distribution on Earth

There are several types of precipitation, depending on the annual course. They have their own characteristics.

• Equatorial. Uniform rainfall throughout the year. Absence of dry months, the least amount of falling moisture falls on the equinox and solstice, which occur in the 04, 10, 06, 01 months of the year.
• Monsoon. Uneven precipitation - the maximum amount falls in the summer season, the minimum in the winter season.
• Mediterranean. Maximum precipitation is recorded in winter, the minimum is in summer. It occurs in the subtropics, on the western coasts and in the middle of the continent. There is a gradual decrease in quantity as we approach the central part of the continent.
• Continental. Precipitation is more in the warm season, and with the arrival of cold weather, it becomes less.
• Nautical. Uniform distribution of moisture throughout the year. A slight maximum can be traced in the autumn-winter period.

What influences the distribution of precipitation on Earth

In order to understand where there is the maximum amount of precipitation on Earth, it is necessary to understand what this indicator depends on.

Precipitation throughout the year is unevenly distributed throughout the Earth. Their number decreases territorially from the equator to the poles. We can say that the latitude affects their number.

Also, their distribution depends on air temperature, air mass movement, relief, remoteness from the coast, sea currents.

For example, if warm, humid air masses meet mountains on their way, they, as they rise along their slopes, cool down and produce precipitation. Therefore, the maximum number of them falls on the mountain slopes, where the most wet parts of the Earth are located.

Where the maximum amount of precipitation falls

The territory of the equator is the leader in the amount of precipitation for the year. The average values are 1000-2000 mm moisture during the year. There are areas on certain mountain slopes, where this figure increases to 6000-7000. And on the volcano of Cameroon (Mongo ma Ndemi) the maximum amount of precipitation falls within 10,000 mm or more.

This is explained by high air temperature, high humidity, predominance of ascending air currents.

It has long been noted that at a geographical latitude from the equator 20º to the south and 20º to the north, almost 50% of all precipitation of the Earth falls. Observations for many decades prove that the maximum amount of precipitation falls on the equator, especially in mountainous terrain.

Distribution of the amount of falling moisture to the total amount by continents

Making sure that the maximum amount of precipitation falls on the equator, you can consider the percentage of precipitation on the continents as a percentage.

Maximum annual amount of precipitation

The most rainy place on the planet is Mount Vamaleale (Hawaii). Here during the year 335 days it rains. The opposite situation can be traced in the Atacama Desert (Chile), in which rain during the year may not fall out at all.

With regard to the highest index of moisture drop for the year on average, the highest rates for the Hawaiian Islands and India. On Mount Wywil (Hawaii), the maximum amount of precipitation falls to 11,900 mm, and at Cherrapunji station (India) - up to 11,400 mm. These two regions are the most rich in dropping moisture.

The arid regions are Africa and South America. For example, in the Khara oasis (Egypt), an average annual moisture content is less than 0.1 mm, and in Arica (Chile) 0.5 mm.

World Maximum

It is already clear that most of the moisture falls on the equator. As for the maximum indicators, they were recorded at different times and on different continents.

So the maximum amount of moisture within a minute fell in the city of Unionville (USA). It happened on 04/07/1956. Their number per minute was 31.2 mm.

If we continue the topic, the maximum daily precipitation was recorded in the city of Silaos (Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean). From April 15, 1952 to April 16, 1952, 1870 mm of water fell out.

Maximum for a month belongs to the already famous city of Cherapani (India), where in July 1861 9299 mm of rain fell. In the same year, a maximum indicator was recorded here, which was 26,461 mm per year.

All submitted data are not final. Observations of weather conditions show a lot of new records, including those concerning the dropping out of moisture. So, the record for the strongest rain was beaten after 14 years on the island of Guadalupe. From the previous indicator, he distinguished by a few mm.