In popular meteorology we often come across somewhat confusing concepts that can lead us to make mistakes. One of these concepts is that of showerWe associate it with intense rain with particular characteristics. It's quite common in everyday speech to confuse "chubasco" with "storms," "downpours," etc.
That's what this article is for. Here we will solve the doubts about what is a shower and what are its main characteristics.
Etymology
It is a word that may seem strange used in a formal way. It seems more typical of informal language or a kind of idiom of the language. However, chubasco is an official Spanish word. It comes from the Portuguese «chuva» which means rain. Therefore, we can say that the shower is a rain whose characteristics are particular.
This term was coined to describe the magnitude of precipitation or the intensity of the rain. It's similar to what you might call a downpour. It's often used to describe meteorological situations involving intense rainfall over a short period of time. These rainfalls are typically due to the formation of fronts or atmospheric instability. Usually has some issues related to humidity and high pressure in the environment
Differences with other types of rain
The main difference that it has with other types of extended rainfall is that the shower usually appears unexpectedly. It is more complex for meteorologists to predict when a shower is going to fall. The rain is totally unexpected And, most of the time, it drops an awful lot of liters per square meter, but it ends in a matter of minutes. This is what makes it difficult for radars to detect it.
You can more or less detect a pattern that can lead to showers, but is usually not right. For this reason, it is more common to announce in the weather report that there will be showers without actually having them. This type of precipitation is quite aggressive and involves a large amount of water in a short time. Because of this, the streets flood very quickly and can cause disasters for humans.
The first consequences are the destruction or flooding of garages and basements. If the runoff or the slope of the place where the shower falls is high, it is possible that it could drag a vehicle or even break down older walls. We must take into account that, even if it is a short precipitation in time, the intensity and volume of water that falls is too high. This is the factor that presents the most risk.
A precipitation can extend for hours that will not be dangerous as long as it does not fall intensely. Quite the opposite, the best precipitation is one that is long-lasting and with not much intensity, so that it can fill aquifers and soak the soil without harming crops or plants.
Squall components
Let's analyze the characteristics and components of a shower. As we move toward the equator, showers become more frequent and common. This is due, as we mentioned before, to the fact that they are meteorological phenomena associated with stable, warm climates. On our peninsula, we enjoy a pleasant climate with high temperatures and some instabilities that cause the appearance of these phenomena.
One of the ways to be able to predict that a shower is going to come is when we see the formation of very black clouds, it begins to make very strong winds and even hail may fall. It is in these cases where there will begin to be greater atmospheric instability that will lead to a shower. In this situation, it is better to be safe, because it also usually comes accompanied with electric storms.
Furthermore, after lasting only a few minutes, the sky becomes clearer and the sun even rises. The temperature is usually more pleasant after the drop that it suffers with the arrival of the phenomenon. All these components make the shower quite easy to identify. Above all, if we know the regions where they usually occur, it is easier to forecast how long it will last and how often we can find it. In temperate climates, the frequency with which this phenomenon occurs is also increasing.
All of the above indicates that instability is increasing globally.
Increase in showers worldwide
Atmospheric instability is accompanied by high temperatures, a bit more humidity. The climate change that is taking place globally is increasing the average temperatures of the planet. Therefore, it could be said that it means the expansion of the tropics towards the interior of the poles. This can translate into a potential increase in areas where there may be showers with similar characteristics to those near the Equator.
This is why, in Spain, the presence of these short but intense rain events is increasing. Just as temperature and humidity increase, so does the atmospheric instability that accompanies them. Therefore, we can say that, with more "tropical" areas with a potential for increased atmospheric instability, will result in an increase in showers.
This is one of the effects that climate change brings. Not only will the frequency of these phenomena increase in areas that are considered temperate climates, but their intensity will also increase. Higher intensity can cause more damage and more danger. To this we add that showers are very difficult to predict, so the only thing we can do, is to modify the structure of urban planning so that it can be planned for the action of showers.
Another thing we can do is improve the prediction systems for these phenomena so that we can anticipate and that no one is "caught by surprise" these intense events.
I hope that with this information it is clear what a shower is and its characteristics.