Rain is one of nature’s most fascinating processes, yet most people take it for granted. Every drop that falls from the sky ...

Orographic features—such as mountains and valleys—add another layer of complexity. These geographical characteristics can enhance rainfall through orographic lifting, leading to greater runoff ...

The question is, why was flooding so bad in this area? There are several scientific theories on why this area saw double digits of rain in a four day stretch, one being the orographic effect.

Orographic lifting, a process that occurs when hills or mountains force air to rise and cool, caused water vapor to condense and additional precipitation to form as it combined with Helene's ...

But that is how it is with showers, hit and miss. Plus with incoming storms rainfall is orographic in nature. As onshore winds reach our foothills, the air rises and cools and precipitation increases.