Field record · precipitation
Virga fallstreaks
Streaks or shafts appear to taper, fade or terminate above the surface. Perspective can be deceptive, so ground contact should not be guessed from a distant image.
factscale · columnstructure · fallstreak
How it forms
Precipitation trails descend from cloud but do not reach Earth’s surface.
What separates it from a neighbor
Unlike a rain shaft reaching the ground, virga has a visible gap or dissipation before the surface.
Representation boundary
The disappearing lower edge is the key visual information; keep the ground/surface visible when possible.
Evidence boundary. This page separates a sourced formation explanation from the editorial “visual character” phrase above. A single image or casual observation may not contain enough context to classify a real phenomenon confidently.
Sources used for this record
WMO International Cloud Atlas — Virgainstitutional standard
Definition and occurrence of virga/fallstreaks.
Open source ↗