Virga was a term used frequently by my all-time favorite meteorologist, Larry Green of Channel 4 in Denver, and was important to Denverites not so much because of the phenomenon itself but because virga could also cause localized downdrafts which got pretty intense at times. The evaporation of the water from cloud to gas state cooled the air, which dropped precipitously. These columns of cold air would hit the ground and spread out quite rapidly. 40 MPH (60 KPH) was not uncommon.

It also meant that it wasn't going to rain, a topic always much on the minds of Denverites, who live in the rain shadow of the Rockies.


TEd