We’ve had a lot of rain in the UK recently, but it could be worse – you could be living in Rome.
It’s a common belief that the United Kingdom is a particularly wet place, but in fact typically warmer places like the Italian capital and Malta get more rain on average per year.
This is one of five misconceptions dismantled by rain expert Dr Rob Thompson in a new article for The Conversation.
The University of Reading meteorology research scientist, whose video explaining drought went viral this summer, also points out that raindrops are in fact shaped like burger buns and not teardrops.
Other topics covered by Dr Thompson include information about how rain is measured, where most rain in the UK comes from, and why drop size matters.
Read the full article in The Conversation, available for free republication.