Rainfall itself is colorless; however, weather radars use colors like blue, green, yellow, orange, and red to indicate the intensity of precipitation, not the actual color of the rain.
While rain is naturally transparent, the perception of its color can be influenced by several factors:
- Light: Ambient light conditions such as the sunlight or light at night affect how the rain appears.
- Atmosphere: Dust, pollution, or other particles in the atmosphere can affect the appearance of rainfall.
- Weather radar: Weather radars do not show the actual color of rainfall, but rather use a color scale to represent the intensity of the rainfall. Low dBZ values (blue and green colors) indicate light precipitation, while higher values in the yellow, orange, and red colors mean heavier precipitation. Values above about 45 dBZ signify intense precipitation and are nearly always caused by thunderstorms.
| Color | Precipitation Intensity |
|---|---|
| Blue | Light |
| Green | Light |
| Yellow | Moderate |
| Orange | Heavy |
| Red | Very Heavy |
Rainfall is pure or close to pure water and therefore has no color.
