VIRGA

For the genus of grass skipper butterflies, see Virga (butterfly). See Virga (planetary geology) for virgae, a type of surface feature found on Titan''. In meteorology, virga is precipitation that falls from a cloud but evaporates before reaching the ground. At high altitudes the precipitation falls mainly as ice crystals before melting and finally evaporating; this is usually due to compressional heating, because the air pressure increases closer to the ground. It is very common in the desert and in temperate climates. It is also common in the Southern United States during summer.
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Noun
1. light wispy precipitation that evaporates before it reaches the ground (especially when the lower air is low in humidity)
(hypernym) precipitation, downfall

n. withe; lintel

N F
twig| sprout| stalk; switch| rod; staff| wand; stripe/streak; scepter (Plater)

Streaks or wisps of precipitation falling from a cloud but evaporating before reaching the ground. In certain cases, shafts of virga may precede a microburst ; see dry microburst .