The humidity that moves along the three-dimensional temperature and humidity difference zone called the weather front is the main method in making rain. If at that moment there is enough moisture and upward movement, the rain will fall from a convective cloud (cloud with a strong upward motion) like a cumulonimbus (thunderstorm) that can accumulate into a narrow rainbreak. In mountainous areas, heavy rainfall can occur if the upper flow of the valley rises at the top of the surface wind at altitudes that force moist air to condense and fall as rain along the side of the mountains. On the underside of the mountain breeze, desert climates can occur due to the dry air resulting from the flow of the valleys that leads to warming and drying of air masses. The movement of monsoon trumps, or intertropical convergence zones, brings the rainy season to a savanna climate. Rain is the main source of fresh water in most parts of the world, providing conditions suitable for ecosystem diversity, as well as water for hydroelectric power generation and irrigation of fields. Rainfall is calculated using a rain gauge. The amount of rainfall is actively calculated by passive and weather radar by weather satellites.
The impacts of urban hot islands encourage increased rainfall in numbers and intensity under the urban winds. Global warming also leads to changes in rain patterns around the world, including the rainy atmosphere in eastern North America and the dry atmosphere of the tropics. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and the primary provider of freshwater on the planet. The average annual global rainfall is 990 milimetres (39 in). Clustering systems such as the Köppen climate system group use annual mean rainfall to help differentiate climatic areas. Antarctica is the driest continent on Earth. In other areas, rain has also been down with the content of methane, iron, fluorescent, and sulfur.