Virga is rain that evaporates before it hits the ground. It is more likely when precipitation is falling from a relatively high cloud base. It appears as the streaks of hydrometeors falling. Microbursts that occur with Virga are aptly called dry microbursts, even though a spattering of raindrops may reach the surface. When the air is warm and dry, the air has a much higher capacity to evaporate liquid water. This commonly occurs with the initial hydrometeors that fall from high-based thunderstorms that develop in the interior western US in summer. The area close to this Virga could be quite dangerous for low-level aircraft operations.
Virga
