CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The difference between light rain and a torrential downpour depends on several factors.

Starting with the basics

It starts with warm air, which holds tons of moisture. As the air gets warmer and more humid, it becomes very buoyant, meaning it rises with ease. Fact: A 1 degree Fahrenheit increase can mean 4% more moisture. The warmer the air, the more moisture it can hold.

Rain forms when warm, moist air rises and condenses into tiny condensation particles. These collide and merge together forming water droplets through a process called coalescence. Once these droplets get too heavy to be supported by a cloud’s rising air, they fall.

This vertical, rising air called an updraft dictates rain intensity. A stronger updraft gives more time for those droplets to form and gr

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