BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - Not a drop of rain falling outside, but radar is picking up on precipitation - it’s likely a phenomenon known as Virga.

Explaining virga - precipitation that evaporates before reaching the surface (kbtx)

“Virga”, colloquially dubbed the ‘jellyfish cloud’, stems from the Latin word for “rod” or “branch”, named for its light wispy/streaky appearance extending from the base of clouds. Virga is precipitation that falls from a cloud, but encounters a layer of dry air on its journey to the surface, causing the droplets to evaporate or sublimate.

Virga Clouds in the Brazos Valley (Pattie Grimes Pederson)

Virga most frequently occurs with cirrocumulus, altocumulus, cumulus, and cumulonimbus clouds.

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