Precipitation - wikipedia Precipitation Jump to : navigation , search For other uses , see Precipitation ( disambiguation ) . Long - term mean precipitation by month Countries by average annual precipitation In meteorology , precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity . The main forms of precipitation include drizzle , rain , sleet , snow , graupel and hail . Precipitation occurs when a portion of the atmosphere becomes saturated with water vapor , so that the water condenses and `` precipitates '' . Thus , fog and mist are not precipitation but suspensions , because the water vapor does not condense sufficiently to precipitate . Two processes , possibly acting together , can lead to air becoming saturated : cooling the air or adding water vapor to the air . Precipitation forms as smaller droplets coalesce via collision with other rain drops or ice crystals within a cloud . Short , intense periods of rain in scattered locations are called `` showers . '' Moisture that is lifted or otherwise forced to rise over a layer of sub-freezing air at the surface may be condensed into clouds and rain . This process is typically active when freezing rain occurs . A stationary front is often present near the area of freezing rain and serves as the foci for forcing and rising air . Provided necessary and sufficient atmospheric moisture content , the moisture within the rising air will condense into clouds , namely stratus and cumulonimbus . Eventually , the cloud droplets will grow large enough to form raindrops and descend toward the Earth where they will freeze on contact with exposed objects . Where relatively warm water bodies are present , for example due to water evaporation from lakes , lake - effect snowfall becomes a concern downwind of the warm lakes within the cold cyclonic flow around the backside of extratropical cyclones . Lake - effect snowfall can be locally heavy . Thundersnow is possible within a cyclone 's comma head and within lake effect precipitation bands . In mountainous areas , heavy precipitation is possible where upslope flow is maximized within windward sides of the terrain at elevation . On the leeward side of mountains , desert climates can exist due to the dry air caused by compressional heating . Most precipitation occurs within the tropics and is caused by convection . The movement of the monsoon trough , or intertropical convergence zone , brings rainy seasons to savannah climes . Precipitation is a major component of the water cycle , and is responsible for depositing the fresh water on the planet . Approximately 505,000 cubic kilometres ( 121,000 cu mi ) of water falls as precipitation each year ; 398,000 cubic kilometres ( 95,000 cu mi ) of it over the oceans and 107,000 cubic kilometres ( 26,000 cu mi ) over land . Given the Earth 's surface area , that means the globally averaged annual precipitation is 990 millimetres ( 39 in ) , but over land it is only 715 millimetres ( 28.1 in ) . Climate classification systems such as the Köppen climate classification system use average annual rainfall to help differentiate between differing climate regimes . Precipitation may occur on other celestial bodies , e.g. when it gets cold , Mars has precipitation which most likely takes the form of frost , rather than rain or snow . Part of the nature series Weather Calendar seasons Winter Spring Summer Autumn Tropical seasons Dry season Wet season Storms Cloud Cumulonimbus cloud Arcus cloud Downburst Microburst Heat burst Dust storm Simoom Haboob Monsoon Gale Sirocco Firestorm Lightning Supercell Thunderstorm Severe thunderstorm Thundersnow Storm surge Tornado Cyclone Mesocyclone Anticyclone Tropical cyclone ( Hurricane ) Extratropical cyclone European windstorm Atlantic Hurricane Typhoon Derecho Landspout Dust devil Fire whirl Waterspout Winter storm Ice storm Blizzard Ground blizzard Snowsquall Precipitation Drizzle ( Freezing drizzle ) Graupel Hail Ice pellets ( Diamond dust ) Rain ( Freezing rain ) Cloudburst Snow Rain and snow mixed Snow grains Snow roller Slush Topics Atmospheric river Atmospheric convection Air pollution Climate Cloud Fog Cold wave Heat wave Jet stream Meteorology Severe weather Weather forecasting Weather portal Contents ( hide ) 1 Types 2 How the air becomes saturated 2.1 Cooling air to its dew point 2.2 Adding moisture to the air 3 Formation 3.1 Raindrops 3.2 Ice pellets 3.3 Hail 3.4 Snowflakes 3.5 Diamond dust 4 Causes 4.1 Frontal activity 4.2 Convection 4.3 Orographic effects 4.4 Snow 4.5 Within the tropics 4.6 Large - scale geographical distribution 5 Measurement 5.1 Hydrometeor definition 5.2 Satellite estimates 5.3 Satellite data sets 6 Return period 7 Role in Köppen climate classification 8 Effect on agriculture 9 Changes due to global warming 10 Changes due to urban heat island 11 Forecasting 12 See also 13 References 14 External links Types ( edit ) Main article : Precipitation types A thunderstorm with heavy precipitation Precipitation is a major component of the water cycle , and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the planet . Approximately 505,000 km ( 121,000 mi ) of water falls as precipitation each year , 398,000 km ( 95,000 cu mi ) of it over the oceans . Given the Earth 's surface area , that means the globally averaged annual precipitation is 990 millimetres ( 39 in ) . Mechanisms of producing precipitation include convective , stratiform , and orographic rainfall . Convective processes involve strong vertical motions that can cause the overturning of the atmosphere in that location within an hour and cause heavy precipitation , while stratiform processes involve weaker upward motions and less intense precipitation . Precipitation can be divided into three categories , based on whether it falls as liquid water , liquid water that freezes on contact with the surface , or ice . Mixtures of different types of precipitation , including types in different categories , can fall simultaneously . Liquid forms of precipitation include rain and drizzle . Rain or drizzle that freezes on contact within a subfreezing air mass is called `` freezing rain '' or `` freezing drizzle '' . Frozen forms of precipitation include snow , ice needles , ice pellets , hail , and graupel . How the air becomes saturated ( edit ) Cooling air to its dew Point ( edit ) Late - summer rainstorm in Denmark Lenticular cloud forming due to mountains over Wyoming The dew point is the temperature to which a parcel must be cooled in order to become saturated , and ( unless super-saturation occurs ) condenses to water . Water vapour normally begins to condense on condensation nuclei such as dust , ice , and salt in order to form clouds . An elevated portion of a frontal zone forces broad areas of lift , which form clouds decks such as altostratus or cirrostratus . Stratus is a stable cloud deck which tends to form when a cool , stable air mass is trapped underneath a warm air mass . It can also form due to the lifting of advection fog during breezy conditions . There are four main mechanisms for cooling the air to its dew point : adiabatic cooling , conductive cooling , radiational coolin g , and evaporative cooling . Adiabatic cooling occurs when air rises and expands . The air can rise due to convection , large - scale atmospheric motions , or a physical barrier such as a mountain ( orographic lift ) . Conductive cooling occurs when the air comes into contact with a colder surface , usually by being blown from one surface to another , for example from a liquid water surface to colder land . Radiational cooling occurs due to the emission of infrared radiation , either by the air or by the surface underneath . Evaporative cooling occurs when moisture is added to the air through evaporation , which forces the air temperature to cool to its wet - bulb temperature , or until it reaches saturation . Adding moisture to the air ( edit ) The main ways water vapour is added to the air are : wind convergence into areas of upward motion , precipitation or virga falling from above , daytime heating evaporating water from the surface of oceans , water bodies or wet land , transpiration from plants , cool or dry air moving over warmer water , and lifting air over mountains . Formation ( edit ) Main article : Water cycle Condensation and coalescence are important parts of the water cycle . Raindrops ( edit ) Coalescence occurs when water droplets fuse to create larger water droplets , or when water droplets freeze onto an ice crystal , which is known as the Bergeron process . The fall rate of very small droplets is negligible , hence clouds do not fall out of the sky ; precipitation will only occur when these coalesce into larger drops . When air turbulence occurs , water droplets collide , producing larger droplets . As these larger water droplets descend , coalescence continues , so that drops become heavy enough to overcome air resistance and fall as rain . Raindrops have sizes ranging from 0.1 millimetres ( 0.0039 in ) to 9 millimetres ( 0.35 in ) mean diameter , above which they tend to break up . Smaller drops are called cloud droplets , and their shape is spherical . As a raindrop increases in size , its shape becomes more oblate , with its largest cross-section facing the oncoming airflow . Contrary to the cartoon pictures of raindrops , their shape does not resemble a teardrop . Intensity and duration of rainfall are usually inversely related , i.e. , high intensity storms are likely to be of short duration and low intensity storms can have a long duration . Rain drops associated with melting hail tend to be larger than other rain drops . The METAR code for rain is RA , while the coding for rain showers is SHRA . Ice pellets ( edit ) Main article : Ice pellets An accumulation of ice pellets Ice pellets or sleet are a form of precipitation consisting of small , translucent balls of ice . Ice pellets are usually ( but not always ) smaller than hailstones . They often bounce when they hit the ground , and generally do not freeze into a solid mass unless mixed with freezing rain . The METAR code for ice pellets is PL . Ice pellets form when a layer of above - freezing air exists with sub-freezing air both above and below . This causes the partial or complete melting of any snowflakes falling through the warm layer . As they fall back into the sub-freezing layer closer to the surface , they re-freeze into ice pellets . However , if the sub-freezing layer beneath the warm layer is too small , the precipitation will not have time to re-freeze , and freezing rain will be the result at the surface . A temperature profile showing a warm layer above the ground is most likely to be found in advance of a warm front during the cold season , but can occasionally be found behind a passing cold front . Hail ( edit ) Main article : Hail A large hailstone , about 6 centimetres ( 2.4 in ) in diameter Like other precipitation , hail forms in storm clouds when supercooled water droplets freeze on contact with condensation nuclei , such as dust or dirt . The storm 's updraft blows the hailstones to the upper part of the cloud . The updraft dissipates and the hailstones fall down , back into the updraft , and are lifted again . Hail has a diameter of 5 millimetres ( 0.20 in ) or more . Within METAR code , GR is used to indicate larger hail , of a diameter of at least 6.4 millimetres ( 0.25 in ) . GR is derived from the French word grêle . Smaller - sized hail , as well as snow pellets , use the coding of GS , which is short for the French word grésil . Stones just larger than golf ball - sized are one of the most frequently reported hail sizes . Hailstones can grow to 15 centimetres ( 6 in ) and weigh more than 500 grams ( 1 lb ) . In large hailstones , latent heat released by further freezing may melt the outer shell of the hailstone . The hailstone then may undergo ' wet growth ' , where the liquid outer shell collects other smaller hailstones . The hailstone gains an ice layer and grows increasingly larger with each ascent . Once a hailstone becomes too heavy to be supported by the storm 's updraft , it falls from the cloud . Snowflakes ( edit ) Main article : Snowflake Snowflake viewed in an optical microscope Snow crystals form when tiny supercooled cloud droplets ( about 10 μm in diameter ) freeze . Once a droplet has frozen , it grows in the supersaturated environment . Because water droplets are more numerous than the ice crystals the crystals are able to grow to hundreds of micrometers in size at the expense of the water droplets . This process is known as the Wegener -- Bergeron -- Findeisen process . The corresponding depletion of water vapour causes the droplets to evaporate , meaning that the ice crystals grow at the droplets ' expense . These large crystals are an efficient source of precipitation , since they fall through the atmosphere due to their mass , and may collide and stick together in clusters , or aggregates . These aggregates are snowflakes , and are usually the type of ice particle that falls to the ground . Guinness World Records list the world 's largest snowflakes as those of January 1887 at Fort Keogh , Montana ; allegedly one measured 38 cm ( 15 inches ) wide . The exact details of the sticking mechanism remain a subject of research . Although the ice is clear , scattering of light by the crystal facets and hollows / imperfections mean that the crystals often appear white in color due to diffuse reflection of the whole spectrum of light by the small ice particles . The shape of the snowflake is determined broadly by the temperature and humidity at which it is formed . Rarely , at a temperature of around − 2 ° C ( 28 ° F ) , snowflakes can form in threefold symmetry -- triangular snowflakes . The most common snow particles are visibly irregular , although near - perfect snowflakes may be more common in pictures because they are more visually appealing . No two snowflakes are alike , as they grow at different rates and in different patterns depending on the changing temperature and humidity within the atmosphere through which they fall on their way to the ground . The METAR code for snow is SN , while snow showers are coded SHSN . Diamond dust ( edit ) Main article : Diamond dust Diamond dust , also known as ice needles or ice crystals , forms at temperatures approaching − 40 ° C ( − 40 ° F ) due to air with slightly higher moisture from aloft mixing with colder , surface based air . They are made of simple ice crystals that are hexagonal in shape . The METAR identifier for diamond dust within international hourly weather reports is IC . Causes ( edit ) Frontal activity ( edit ) Main article : Weather fronts Stratiform or dynamic precipitation occurs as a consequence of slow ascent of air in synoptic systems ( on the order of cm / s ) , such as over surface cold fronts , and over and ahead of warm fronts . Similar ascent is seen around tropical cyclones outside of the eyewall , and in comma - head precipitation patterns around mid-latitude cyclones . A wide variety of weather can be found along an occluded front , with thunderstorms possible , but usually their passage is associated with a drying of the air mass . Occluded fronts usually form around mature low - pressure areas . Precipitation may occur on celestial bodies other than Earth . When it gets cold , Mars has precipitation that most likely takes the form of ice needles , rather than rain or snow . Convection ( edit ) Convective precipitation Convective rain , or showery precipitation , occurs from convective clouds , e.g. , cumulonimbus or cumulus congestus . It falls as showers with rapidly changing intensity . Convective precipitation falls over a certain area for a relatively short time , as convective clouds have limited horizontal extent . Most precipitation in the tropics appears to be convective ; however , it has been suggested that stratiform precipitation also occurs . Graupel and hail indicate convection . In mid-latitudes , convective precipitation is intermittent and often associated with baroclinic boundaries such as cold fronts , squall lines , and warm fronts . Orographic effects ( edit ) See also : Orographic lift and Precipitation types Orographic precipitation Orographic precipitation occurs on the windward side of mountains and is caused by the rising air motion of a large - scale flow of moist air across the mountain ridge , resulting in adiabatic cooling and condensation . In mountainous parts of the world subjected to relatively consistent winds ( for example , the trade winds ) , a more moist climate usually prevails on the windward side of a mountain than on the leeward or downwind side . Moisture is removed by orographic lift , leaving drier air ( see katabatic wind ) on the descending and generally warming , leeward side where a rain shadow is observed . In Hawaii , Mount Waiʻaleʻale , on the island of Kauai , is notable for its extreme rainfall , as it has the second highest average annual rainfall on Earth , with 12,000 millimetres ( 460 in ) . Storm systems affect the state with heavy rains between October and March . Local climates vary considerably on each island due to their topography , divisible into windward ( Ko ʻolau ) and leeward ( Kona ) regions based upon location relative to the higher mountains . Windward sides face the east to northeast trade winds and receive much more rainfall ; leeward sides are drier and sunnier , with less rain and less cloud cover . In South America , the Andes mountain range blocks Pacific moisture that arrives in that continent , resulting in a desertlike climate just downwind across western Argentina . The Sierra Nevada range creates the same effect in North America forming the Great Basin and Mojave Deserts . Similarly , in Asia , the Himalaya mountains create an obstacle to monsoons which leads to extremely high precipitation on the southern side and lower precipitation levels on the northern side . Snow ( edit ) Main article : Snow Lake - effect snow bands near the Korean Peninsula in early - December 2008 . Extratropical cyclones can bring cold and dangerous conditions with heavy rain and snow with winds exceeding 119 km / h ( 74 mph ) , ( sometimes referred to as windstorms in Europe ) . The band of precipitation that is associated with their warm front is often extensive , forced by weak upward vertical motion of air over the frontal boundary which condenses as it cools and produces precipitation within an elongated band , which is wide and stratiform , meaning falling out of nimbostratus clouds . When moist air tries to dislodge an arctic air mass , overrunning snow can result within the poleward side of the elongated precipitation band . In the Northern Hemisphere , poleward is towards the North Pole , or north . Within the Southern Hemisphere , poleward is towards the South Pole , or south . Southwest of extratropical cyclones , curved cyclonic flow bringing cold air across the relatively warm water bodies can lead to narrow lake - effect snow bands . Those bands bring strong localized snowfall which can be understood as follows : Large water bodies such as lakes efficiently store heat that results in significant temperature differences ( larger than 13 ° C or 23 ° F ) between the water surface and the air above . Because of this temperature difference , warmth and moisture are transported upward , condensing into vertically oriented clouds ( see satellite picture ) which produce snow showers . The temperature decrease with height and cloud depth are directly affected by both the water temperature and the large - scale environment . The stronger the temperature decrease with height , the deeper the clouds get , and the greater the precipitation rate becomes . In mountainous areas , heavy snowfall accumulates when air is forced to ascend the mountains and squeeze out precipitation along their windward slopes , which in cold conditions , falls in the form of snow . Because of the ruggedness of terrain , forecasting the location of heavy snowfall remains a significant challenge . Within the tropics ( edit ) Main article : Wet season See also : Monsoon and Tropical cyclone Rainfall distribution by month in Cairns showing the extent of the wet season at that location The wet , or rainy , season is the time of year , covering one or more months , when most of the average annual rainfall in a region falls . The term green season is also sometimes used as a euphemism by tourist authorities . Areas with wet seasons are dispersed across portions of the tropics and subtropics . Savanna climates and areas with monsoon regimes have wet summers and dry winters . Tropical rainforests technically do not have dry or wet seasons , since their rainfall is equally distributed through the year . Some areas with pronounced rainy seasons will see a break in rainfall mid-season when the intertropical convergence zone or monsoon trough move poleward of their location during the middle of the warm season . When the wet season occurs during the warm season , or summer , rain falls mainly during the late afternoon and early evening hours . The wet season is a time when air quality improves , freshwater quality improves , and vegetation grows significantly . Soil nutrients diminish and erosion increases . Animals have adaptation and survival strategies for the wetter regime . The previous dry season leads to food shortages into the wet season , as the crops have yet to mature . Developing countries have noted that their populations show seasonal weight fluctuations due to food shortages seen before the first harvest , which occurs late in the wet season . Tropical cyclones , a source of very heavy rainfall , consist of large air masses several hundred miles across with low pressure at the centre and with winds blowing inward towards the centre in either a clockwise direction ( southern hemisphere ) or counterclockwise ( northern hemisphere ) . Although cyclones can take an enormous toll in lives and personal property , they may be important factors in the precipitation regimes of places they impact , as they may bring much - needed precipitation to otherwise dry regions . Areas in their path can receive a year 's worth of rainfall from a tropical cyclone passage . Large - scale geographical distribution ( edit ) See also : Earth rainfall climatology On the large scale , the highest precipitation amounts outside topography fall in the tropics , closely tied to the Intertropical Convergence Zone , itself the ascending branch of the Hadley cell . Mountainous locales near the equator in Colombia are amongst the wettest places on Earth . North and south of this are regions of descending air that form subtropical ridges where precipitation is low ; the land surface underneath these ridges is usually arid , and these regions make up most of the Earth 's deserts . An exception to this rule is in Hawaii , where upslope flow due to the trade winds lead to one of the wettest locations on Earth . Otherwise , the flow of the Westerlies into the Rocky Mountains lead to the wettest , and at elevation snowiest , locations within North America . In Asia during the wet season , the flow of moist air into the Himalayas leads to some of the greatest rainfall amounts measured on Earth in northeast India . Measurement ( edit ) See also : Rain gauge , Disdrometer , and Snow gauge Standard rain gauge The standard way of measuring rainfall or snowfall is the standard rain gauge , which can be found in 100 mm ( 4 in ) plastic and 200 mm ( 8 in ) metal varieties . The inner cylinder is filled by 25 mm ( 1 in ) of rain , with overflow flowing into the outer cylinder . Plastic gauges have markings on the inner cylinder down to 0.25 mm ( 0.01 in ) resolution , while metal gauges require use of a stick designed with the appropriate 0.25 mm ( 0.01 in ) markings . After the inner cylinder is filled , the amount inside it is discarded , then filled with the remaining rainfall in the outer cylinder until all the fluid in the outer cylinder is gone , adding to the overall total until the outer cylinder is empty . These gauges are used in the winter by removing the funnel and inner cylinder and allowing snow and freezing rain to collect inside the outer cylinder . Some add anti-freeze to their gauge so they do not have to melt the snow or ice that falls into the gauge . Once the snowfall / ice is finished accumulating , or as 300 mm ( 12 in ) is approached , one can either bring it inside to melt , or use lukewarm water to fill the inner cylinder with in order to melt the frozen precipitation in the outer cylinder , keeping track of the warm fluid added , which is subsequently subtracted from the overall total once all the ice / snow is melted . Other types of gauges include the popular wedge gauge ( the cheapest rain gauge and most fragile ) , the tipping bucket rain gauge , and the weighing rain gauge . The wedge and tipping bucket gauges will have problems with snow . Attempts to compensate for snow / ice by warming the tipping bucket meet with limited success , since snow may sublimate if the gauge is kept much above freezing . Weighing gauges with antifreeze should do fine with snow , but again , the funnel needs to be removed before the event begins . For those looking to measure rainfall the most inexpensively , a can that is cylindrical with straight sides will act as a rain gauge if left out in the open , but its accuracy will depend on what ruler is used to measure the rain with . Any of the above rain gauges can be made at home , with enough know - how . When a precipitation measurement is made , various networks exist across the United States and elsewhere where rainfall measurements can be submitted through the Internet , such as CoCoRAHS or GLOBE . If a network is not available in the area where one lives , the nearest local weather office will likely be interested in the measurement . Hydrometeor definition ( edit ) A concept used in precipitation measurement is the hydrometeor . Bits of liquid or solid water in the atmosphere are known as hydrometeors . Formations due to condensation , such as clouds , haze , fog , and mist , are composed of hydrometeors . All precipitation types are made up of hydrometeors by definition , including virga , which is precipitation which evaporates before reaching the ground . Particles blown from the Earth 's surface by wind , such as blowing snow and blowing sea spray , are also hydrometeors . Satellite estimates ( edit ) Although surface precipitation gauges are considered the standard for measuring precipitation , there are many areas in which their use is not feasible . This includes the vast expanses of ocean and remote land areas . In other cases , social , technical or administrative issues prevent the dissemination of gauge observations . As a result , the modern global record of precipitation largely depends on satellite observations . Satellite sensors work by remotely sensing precipitation -- recording various parts of the electromagnetic spectrum that theory and practice show are related to the occurrence and intensity of precipitation . The sensors are almost exclusively passive , recording what they see , similar to a camera , in contrast to active sensors ( radar , lidar ) that send out a signal and detect its impact on the area being observed . Satellite sensors now in practical use for precipitation fall into two categories . Thermal infrared ( IR ) sensors record a channel around 11 micron wavelength and primarily give information about cloud tops . Due to the typical structure of the atmosphere , cloud - top temperatures are approximately inversely related to cloud - top heights , meaning colder clouds almost always occur at higher altitudes . Further , cloud tops with a lot of small - scale variation are likely to be more vigorous than smooth - topped clouds . Various mathematical schemes , or algorithms , use these and other properties to estimate precipitation from the IR data . The second category of sensor channels is in the microwave part of the electromagnetic spectrum . The frequencies in use range from about 10 gigahertz to a few hundred GHz . Channels up to about 37 GHz primarily provide information on the liquid hydrometeors ( rain and drizzle ) in the lower parts of clouds , with larger amounts of liquid emitting higher amounts of microwave radiant energy . Channels above 37 GHz display emission signals , but are dominated by the action of solid hydrometeors ( snow , graupel , etc . ) to scatter microwave radiant energy . Satellites such as the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission ( TRMM ) and the Global Precipitation Measurement ( GPM ) mission employ microwave sensors to form precipitation estimates . Additional sensor channels and products have been demonstrated to provide additional useful information including visible channels , additional IR channels , water vapor channels and atmospheric sounding retrievals . However , most precipitation data sets in current use do not employ these data sources . Satellite data sets ( edit ) The IR estimates have rather low skill at short time and space scales , but are available very frequently ( 15 minutes or more often ) from satellites in geosynchronous Earth orbit . IR works best in cases of deep , vigorous convection -- such as the tropics -- and becomes progressively less useful in areas where stratiform ( layered ) precipitation dominates , especially in mid - and high - latitude regions . The more - direct physical connection between hydrometeors and microwave channels gives the microwave estimates greater skill on short time and space scales than is true for IR . However , microwave sensors fly only on low Earth orbit satellites , and there are few enough of them that the average time between observations exceeds three hours . This several - hour interval is insufficient to adequately document precipitation because of the transient nature of most precipitation systems as well as the inability of a single satellite to appropriately capture the typical daily cycle of precipitation at a given location . Since the late 1990s , several algorithms have been developed to combine precipitation data from multiple satellites ' sensors , seeking to emphasize the strengths and minimize the weaknesses of the individual input data sets . The goal is to provide `` best '' estimates of precipitation on a uniform time / space grid , usually for as much of the globe as possible . In some cases the long - term homogeneity of the dataset is emphasized , which is the Climate Data Record standard . In other cases , the goal is producing the best instantaneous satellite estimate , which is the High Resolution Precipitation Product approach . In either case , of course , the less - emphasized goal is also considered desirable . One key result of the multi-satellite studies is that including even a small amount of surface gauge data is very useful for controlling the biases that are endemic to satellite estimates . The difficulties in using gauge data are that 1 ) their availability is limited , as noted above , and 2 ) the best analyses of gauge data take two months or more after the observation time to undergo the necessary transmission , assembly , processing and quality control . Thus , precipitation estimates that include gauge data tend to be produced further after the observation time than the no - gauge estimates . As a result , while estimates that include gauge data may provide a more accurate depiction of the `` true '' precipitation , they are generally not suited for real - or near - real - time applications . The work described has resulted in a variety of datasets possessing different formats , time / space grids , periods of record and regions of coverage , input datasets , and analysis procedures , as well as many different forms of dataset version designators . In many cases , one of the modern multi-satellite data sets is the best choice for general use . Return period ( edit ) See also : 100 - year flood The likelihood or probability of an event with a specified intensity and duration , is called the return period or frequency . The intensity of a storm can be predicted for any return period and storm duration , from charts based on historic data for the location . The term 1 in 10 year storm describes a rainfall event which is rare and is only likely to occur once every 10 years , so it has a 10 percent likelihood any given year . The rainfall will be greater and the flooding will be worse than the worst storm expected in any single year . The term 1 in 100 year storm describes a rainfall event which is extremely rare and which will occur with a likelihood of only once in a century , so has a 1 percent likelihood in any given year . The rainfall will be extreme and flooding to be worse than a 1 in 10 year event . As with all probability events , it is possible though unlikely to have two `` 1 in 100 Year Storms '' in a single year . Role in Köppen climate classification ( edit ) Main article : Köppen climate classification Updated Köppen - Geiger climate map Af Am Aw BWh BWk BSh BSk Csa Csb Cwa Cwb Cfa Cfb Cfc Dsa Dsb Dsc Dsd Dwa Dwb Dwc Dwd Dfa Dfb Dfc Dfd ET EF The Köppen classification depends on average monthly values of temperature and precipitation . The most commonly used form of the Köppen classification has five primary types labeled A through E. Specifically , the primary types are A , tropical ; B , dry ; C , mild mid-latitude ; D , cold mid-latitude ; and E , polar . The five primary classifications can be further divided into secondary classifications such as rain forest , monsoon , tropical savanna , humid subtropical , humid continental , oceanic climate , Mediterranean climate , steppe , subarctic climate , tundra , polar ice cap , and desert . Rain forests are characterized by high rainfall , with definitions setting minimum normal annual rainfall between 1,750 and 2,000 mm ( 69 and 79 in ) . A tropical savanna is a grassland biome located in semi-arid to semi-humid climate regions of subtropical and tropical latitudes , with rainfall between 750 and 1,270 mm ( 30 and 50 in ) a year . They are widespread on Africa , and are also found in India , the northern parts of South America , Malaysia , and Australia . The humid subtropical climate zone is where winter rainfall ( and sometimes snowfall ) is associated with large storms that the westerlies steer from west to east . Most summer rainfall occurs during thunderstorms and from occasional tropical cyclones . Humid subtropical climates lie on the east side continents , roughly between latitudes 20 ° and 40 ° degrees away from the equator . An oceanic ( or maritime ) climate is typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of all the world 's continents , bordering cool oceans , as well as southeastern Australia , and is accompanied by plentiful precipitation year - round . The Mediterranean climate regime resembles the climate of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin , parts of western North America , parts of Western and South Australia , in southwestern South Africa and in parts of central Chile . The climate is characterized by hot , dry summers and cool , wet winters . A steppe is a dry grassland . Subarctic climates are cold with continuous permafrost and little precipitation . Effect on agriculture ( edit ) Rainfall estimates for southern Japan and the surrounding region from July 20 to 27 , 2009 . Precipitation , especially rain , has a dramatic effect on agriculture . All plants need at least some water to survive , therefore rain ( being the most effective means of watering ) is important to agriculture . While a regular rain pattern is usually vital to healthy plants , too much or too little rainfall can be harmful , even devastating to crops . Drought can kill crops and increase erosion , while overly wet weather can cause harmful fungus growth . Plants need varying amounts of rainfall to survive . For example , certain cacti require small amounts of water , while tropical plants may need up to hundreds of inches of rain per year to survive . In areas with wet and dry seasons , soil nutrients diminish and erosion increases during the wet season . Animals have adaptation and survival strategies for the wetter regime . The previous dry season leads to food shortages into the wet season , as the crops have yet to mature . Developing countries have noted that their populations show seasonal weight fluctuations due to food shortages seen before the first harvest , which occurs late in the wet season . Changes due to Global warming ( edit ) See also : Global warming Increasing temperatures tend to increase evaporation which leads to more precipitation . Precipitation has generally increased over land north of 30 ° N from 1900 to 2005 but has declined over the tropics since the 1970s . Globally there has been no statistically significant overall trend in precipitation over the past century , although trends have varied widely by region and over time . Eastern portions of North and South America , northern Europe , and northern and central Asia have become wetter . The Sahel , the Mediterranean , southern Africa and parts of southern Asia have become drier . There has been an increase in the number of heavy precipitation events over many areas during the past century , as well as an increase since the 1970s in the prevalence of droughts -- especially in the tropics and subtropics . Changes in precipitation and evaporation over the oceans are suggested by the decreased salinity of mid - and high - latitude waters ( implying more precipitation ) , along with increased salinity in lower latitudes ( implying less precipitation , more evaporation , or both ) . Over the contiguous United States , total annual precipitation increased at an average rate of 6.1 % per century since 1900 , with the greatest increases within the East North Central climate region ( 11.6 % per century ) and the South ( 11.1 % ) . Hawaii was the only region to show a decrease ( - 9.25 % ) . Changes due to urban heat island ( edit ) See also : Urban heat island Image of Atlanta , Georgia , showing temperature distribution , with hot areas appearing white The urban heat island warms cities 0.6 to 5.6 ° C ( 1.1 to 10.1 ° F ) above surrounding suburbs and rural areas . This extra heat leads to greater upward motion , which can induce additional shower and thunderstorm activity . Rainfall rates downwind of cities are increased between 48 % and 116 % . Partly as a result of this warming , monthly rainfall is about 28 % greater between 32 to 64 kilometres ( 20 to 40 mi ) downwind of cities , compared with upwind . Some cities induce a total precipitation increase of 51 % . Forecasting ( edit ) Main articles : Probability of precipitation and Quantitative precipitation forecast Example of a five - day rainfall forecast from the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center The Quantitative Precipitation Forecast ( abbreviated QPF ) is the expected amount of liquid precipitation accumulated over a specified time period over a specified area . A QPF will be specified when a measurable precipitation type reaching a minimum threshold is forecast for any hour during a QPF valid period . Precipitation forecasts tend to be bound by synoptic hours such as 0000 , 0600 , 1200 and 1800 GMT . Terrain is considered in QPFs by use of topography or based upon climatological precipitation patterns from observations with fine detail . Starting in the mid to late 1990s , QPFs were used within hydrologic forecast models to simulate impact to rivers throughout the United States . Forecast models show significant sensitivity to humidity levels within the planetary boundary layer , or in the lowest levels of the atmosphere , which decreases with height . QPF can be generated on a quantitative , forecasting amounts , or a qualitative , forecasting the probability of a specific amount , basis . Radar imagery forecasting techniques show higher skill than model forecasts within six to seven hours of the time of the radar image . The forecasts can be verified through use of rain gauge measurements , weather radar estimates , or a combination of both . Various skill scores can be determined to measure the value of the rainfall forecast . See also ( edit ) List of meteorology topics Basic precipitation Bioprecipitation , the concept of rain - making bacteria . Mango showers , pre-monsoon showers in the Indian states of Karnataka and Kerala that help in the ripening of mangoes . Sunshower , an unusual meteorological phenomenon in which rain falls while the sun is shining . Wintry showers , an informal meteorological term for various mixtures of rain , freezing rain , sleet and snow . References ( edit ) Jump up ^ Karger , Dirk Nikolaus ; Conrad , Olaf ; Böhner , Jürgen ; Kawohl , Tobias ; Kreft , Holger ; Soria - Auza , Rodrigo W. ; Zimmermann , Niklaus ; Linder , H. Peter ; Michael , Kessler ( 2016 - 07 - 01 ) . `` Climatologies at high resolution for the Earth land surface areas '' . arXiv : 1607.00217 ( physics. ao - ph ) . Jump up ^ `` Precipitation '' . Glossary of Meteorology . American Meteorological Society . 2009 . Retrieved 2009 - 01 - 02 . 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Current map of the global precipitation forecast for the next three hours Report local rainfall inside the United States at this site ( CoCoRaHS ) Report local rainfall related to tropical cyclones worldwide at this site Global Precipitation Climatology Centre GPCC ( hide ) Meteorological data and variables General Adiabatic processes Advection Buoyancy Lapse rate Lightning Surface solar radiation Surface weather analysis Visibility Vorticity Wind Wind shear Condensation Cloud Cloud condensation nuclei ( CCN ) Fog Convective condensation level ( CCL ) Lifted condensation level ( LCL ) Precipitation Water vapor Convection Convective available potential energy ( CAPE ) Convective inhibition ( CIN ) Convective instability Convective momentum transport Convective temperature ( T ) Equilibrium level ( EL ) Free convective layer ( FCL ) Helicity K Index Level of free convection ( LFC ) Lifted index ( LI ) Maximum parcel level ( MPL ) Bulk Richardson number ( BRN ) Temperature Dew point ( T ) Dew point depression Dry - bulb temperature Equivalent temperature ( T ) Forest fire weather index Haines Index Heat index Humidex Humidity Relative humidity ( RH ) Mixing ratio Potential temperature ( θ ) Equivalent potential temperature ( θ ) Sea surface temperature ( SST ) Thermodynamic temperature Vapor pressure Virtual temperature Wet - bulb temperature Wet - bulb potential temperature Wind chill Pressure Atmospheric pressure Baroclinity Barotropicity Pressure gradient Pressure - gradient force ( PGF ) GND : 4132260 - 5 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Precipitation&oldid=818710072 '' Categories : Basic meteorological concepts and phenomena Precipitation Clouds , fog and precipitation Hidden categories : CS1 maint : Multiple names : authors list Webarchive template wayback links Commons category with local link different than on Wikidata Good articles Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Afrikaans Azərbaycanca বাংলা Беларуская Български Bosanski Català Čeština Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Эрзянь Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Frysk Gaelg Gàidhlig Galego 贛 語 한국어 Հայերեն हिन्दी Hrvatski Ido Bahasa Indonesia Íslenska Italiano עברית ქართული Қазақша Kiswahili Kurdî Кыргызча Latgaļu Latina Latviešu Lietuvių Magyar Македонски मराठी მარგალური Bahasa Melayu Монгол မြန်မာဘာသာ Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Олык марий ଓଡ଼ିଆ Plattdüütsch Polski Português Română Runa Simi Русиньскый Русский Scots Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska தமிழ் Taqbaylit ไทย Türkçe Українська اردو Tiếng Việt 粵語 Žemaitėška 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 5 January 2018 , at 03 : 48 . 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Question: what are the four main types of precipitation


Figure skating at the 2018 Winter Olympics -- Men 's singles - wikipedia Figure skating at the 2018 Winter Olympics -- Men 's singles Jump to : navigation , search Men 's singles at the XXIII Olympic Winter Games Venue Gangneung Ice Arena Gangneung , South Korea Dates 16 -- 17 February Competitors 30 from 21 nations Winning score 317.85 Medalists 01 ! Yuzuru Hanyu Japan 02 ! Shoma Uno Japan 03 ! Javier Fernández Spain ← 2014 2022 → Figure skating at the 2018 Winter Olympics Qualification Singles men ladies Pairs mixed Ice dancing mixed Team event mixed The men 's single figure skating competition of the 2018 Winter Olympics was held on 16 and 17 February 2018 at the Gangneung Ice Arena in Gangneung , South Korea . The short program was held on 16 February and the free skating was held on 17 February . This medal event was the 1000th medal event in the history of the Winter Olympic Games . Contents ( hide ) 1 Summary 2 Qualification 3 Schedule 4 Results 4.1 Short program 4.2 Free skating 4.3 Overall 5 References Summary ( edit ) With his victory at the 2018 Winter Olympics , Yuzuru Hanyu became the first male figure skater to win two consecutive gold medals after Dick Button , who did so in 1952 . Fellow countryman Shoma Uno won the silver medal , and Spain 's Javier Fernández won the bronze medal . Fernández won Spain 's first figure skating medal and fourth medal at the Winter Olympics . After the short program , Hanyu , Fernández , Uno , and Jin Boyang were first , second , third , and fourth respectively . Nathan Chen , originally one of the favorites for the podium , skated an uncharacteristically poor short program that placed him at 17th , but fought back to win the free skating with a score of 215.08 -- 8.91 points above the second place free skating by Hanyu . He ended up fifth overall . In the free program , Jin Boyang overtook Chen by less than a point overall , and placed fourth . In the victory ceremony , the medals were presented by Tsunekazu Takeda , member of the International Olympic Committee , accompanied by Alexander Lakernik , ISU Figure Skating Vice President . Vincent Zhou landed the first quadruple lutz at the Olympics . Nathan Chen became the first to ever land six quads , five clean . He also landed the first quadruple flip at the Olympics . With these jumps he holds the new record for highest free skating technical score . For complete list of figure skating records , see list of highest scores in figure skating . Qualification ( edit ) Main article : Figure skating at the 2018 Winter Olympics -- Qualification A total of 30 skaters qualified to compete for the event , with each country allowed to only enter a maximum of three . 24 quotas were handed out during the 2017 World Figure Skating Championships and the remaining six were given out at the 2017 CS Nebelhorn Trophy . Each country decided the entry of its teams , and athletes winning the quota were not necessarily granted the right to compete . All athletes competing must have met the minimum total elements score , which does not include component scores . For the short program this was 25.00 and the free skating 45.00 . Schedule ( edit ) All times are ( UTC + 9 ) . Date Time Round 16 February 10 : 00 Short program 17 February 10 : 00 Free skating Results ( edit ) Short program ( edit ) The short program was held on 16 February 2018 . Pl . Name Nation TSS TES PCS SS TR PE CH IN Ded StN Yuzuru Hanyu Japan 111.68 63.18 48.50 9.71 9.43 9.86 9.75 9.75 0.00 25 Javier Fernández Spain 107.58 59.79 47.79 9.36 9.36 9.71 9.68 9.68 0.00 29 Shoma Uno Japan 104.17 58.13 46.04 9.29 9.00 9.25 9.29 9.21 0.00 28 Jin Boyang China 103.32 60.27 43.05 8.79 8.29 8.82 8.54 8.61 0.00 30 5 Dmitri Aliev Olympic Athletes from Russia 98.98 56.98 42.00 8.43 8.11 8.50 8.50 8.46 0.00 20 6 Patrick Chan Canada 90.01 45.08 45.93 9.36 9.07 9.00 9.29 9.21 -- 1.00 21 7 Adam Rippon United States 87.95 44.48 43.47 8.57 8.43 8.86 8.68 8.93 0.00 19 8 Mikhail Kolyada Olympic Athletes from Russia 86.69 43.84 43.85 8.96 8.54 8.64 8.82 8.89 -- 1.00 27 9 Michal Březina Czech Republic 85.15 44.34 40.81 8.25 7.89 8.25 8.21 8.21 0.00 13 10 Keegan Messing Canada 85.11 45.50 40.61 8.04 7.96 8.07 8.29 8.25 − 1.00 12 11 Jorik Hendrickx Belgium 84.74 44.17 40.57 7.96 7.89 8.25 8.18 8.29 0.00 17 12 Vincent Zhou United States 84.53 48.50 36.03 7.39 6.96 7.11 7.32 7.25 0.00 13 Oleksii Bychenko Israel 84.13 43.63 40.50 7.93 7.71 8.36 8.18 8.32 0.00 23 14 Misha Ge Uzbekistan 83.90 41.75 42.15 8.18 8.18 8.54 8.46 8.79 0.00 16 15 Cha Jun - hwan South Korea 83.43 43.79 39.64 7.93 7.68 8.07 8.00 7.96 0.00 14 16 Brendan Kerry Australia 83.06 45.49 37.57 7.57 7.36 7.61 7.57 7.46 0.00 10 17 Nathan Chen United States 82.27 41.39 41.88 8.46 8.32 8.14 8.57 8.39 -- 1.00 26 18 Daniel Samohin Israel 80.69 43.29 38.40 7.79 7.29 7.79 7.71 7.82 -- 1.00 18 19 Yan Han China 80.63 40.99 40.64 8.46 8.07 7.86 8.18 8.07 − 1.00 8 20 Keiji Tanaka Japan 80.05 40.30 40.75 8.36 7.86 8.07 8.21 8.25 -- 1.00 22 21 Deniss Vasiļjevs Latvia 79.52 39.34 41.18 8.25 8.00 8.18 8.39 8.36 -- 1.00 24 22 Moris Kvitelashvili Georgia 76.56 40.88 36.68 7.46 7.11 7.32 7.43 7.36 − 1.00 11 23 Matteo Rizzo Italy 75.63 39.23 36.40 7.29 7.11 7.29 7.39 7.32 0.00 5 24 Paul Fentz Germany 74.73 37.71 37.02 7.46 7.25 7.46 7.46 7.39 0.00 15 Did not advance to free skating 25 Julian Yee Malaysia 73.58 38.37 35.21 7.07 6.82 7.11 7.14 7.07 0.00 9 26 Chafik Besseghier France 72.10 38.41 33.69 6.79 6.29 6.89 6.86 6.86 0.00 27 Denis Ten Kazakhstan 70.12 30.77 39.35 8.11 7.82 7.46 8.07 7.89 0.00 28 Michael Christian Martinez Philippines 55.56 26.04 29.52 5.96 5.64 5.96 6.00 5.96 0.00 6 29 Felipe Montoya Spain 52.41 22.59 30.82 6.25 6.07 6.00 6.25 6.25 − 1.00 30 Yaroslav Paniot Ukraine 46.58 18.68 29.90 6.43 5.79 5.61 6.21 5.86 − 2.00 7 Notes : WR - World record TSS - Total Segment Score ; TES - Technical Element Score ; PCS - Program Component Score SS - Skating Skills ; TR - Transitions ; PE - Performance / Execution CH - Choreography ; IN - Interpretation ; Ded - Deduction ; StN - Starting Number Free skating ( edit ) The free skating was held on 17 February 2018 . Pl . Name Nation TSS TES PCS SS TR PE CH IN Ded StN Nathan Chen United States 215.08 127.64 87.44 8.82 8.32 9.04 8.79 8.75 0.00 9 Yuzuru Hanyu Japan 206.17 109.55 96.62 9.71 9.50 9.64 9.71 9.75 0.00 22 Shoma Uno Japan 202.73 111.01 92.72 9.36 9.07 9.25 9.32 9.36 -- 1.00 24 Javier Fernández Spain 197.66 101.52 96.14 9.46 9.43 9.64 9.79 9.75 0.00 23 5 Jin Boyang China 194.45 109.69 85.76 8.71 8.21 8.64 8.68 8.64 -- 1.00 20 6 Vincent Zhou United States 192.16 112.24 79.92 8.04 7.71 8.25 7.96 8.00 0.00 15 7 Mikhail Kolyada Olympic Athletes from Russia 177.56 91.62 87.94 9.00 8.64 8.68 8.86 8.72 -- 2.00 16 8 Patrick Chan Canada 173.42 81.56 91.86 9.32 9.14 8.66 9.29 9.32 0.00 21 9 Oleksii Bychenko Israel 172.88 89.08 83.80 8.39 8.04 8.61 8.43 8.43 0.00 7 10 Adam Rippon United States 171.41 84.47 86.94 8.75 8.54 8.68 8.71 8.79 0.00 18 11 Daniel Samohin Israel 170.75 89.03 81.72 8.32 7.75 8.32 8.18 8.29 0.00 8 12 Keegan Messing Canada 170.32 84.88 85.44 8.50 8.29 8.61 8.61 8.71 0.00 14 13 Dmitri Aliev Olympic Athletes from Russia 168.53 85.39 85.13 8.64 8.39 8.32 8.61 8.61 -- 2.00 19 14 Cha Jun - hwan South Korea 165.16 84.94 81.22 8.21 7.86 8.25 8.11 8.18 -- 1.00 13 15 Keiji Tanaka Japan 164.78 85.64 81.14 8.36 7.89 8.00 8.18 8.14 -- 2.00 5 16 Jorik Hendrickx Belgium 164.21 81.79 82.42 8.25 7.96 8.36 8.25 8.39 0.00 13 17 Misha Ge Uzbekistan 161.04 74.96 86.08 8.46 8.36 8.54 8.75 8.93 0.00 10 18 Michal Březina Czech Republic 160.92 76.58 84.34 8.57 8.21 8.39 8.57 8.43 0.00 17 19 Matteo Rizzo Italy 156.78 80.86 75.92 7.64 7.32 7.79 7.64 7.57 0.00 20 Deniss Vasiļjevs Latvia 155.06 76.42 80.64 8.14 7.86 7.96 8.18 8.18 -- 2.00 21 Brendan Kerry Australia 150.75 73.33 77.42 7.96 7.54 7.68 7.82 7.71 0.00 12 22 Paul Fentz Germany 139.82 66.98 72.84 7.50 7.14 7.14 7.39 7.25 0.00 23 Yan Han China 132.38 53.80 79.58 8.56 7.82 7.57 8.04 8.00 -- 1.00 24 Moris Kvitelashvili Georgia 128.01 63.35 70.66 7.34 6.86 6.68 7.32 7.04 -- 6.00 6 Notes : TSS - Total Segment Score ; TES - Technical Element Score ; PCS - Program Component Score SS - Skating Skills ; TR - Transitions ; PE - Performance / Execution CH - Choreography ; IN - Interpretation ; Ded - Deduction ; StN - Starting Number Overall ( edit ) The skaters were ranked according to their overall score . Rank Name Nation TP SP FS 01 ! Yuzuru Hanyu Japan 317.85 111.68 206.17 02 ! Shoma Uno Japan 306.90 104.17 202.73 03 ! Javier Fernández Spain 305.24 107.58 197.66 Jin Boyang China 297.77 103.32 194.45 5 5 Nathan Chen United States 297.35 82.27 17 215.08 6 Vincent Zhou United States 276.69 84.53 12 192.16 6 7 Dmitri Aliev Olympic Athletes from Russia 267.51 98.98 5 168.53 13 8 Mikhail Kolyada Olympic Athletes from Russia 264.25 86.69 8 177.56 7 9 Patrick Chan Canada 263.43 90.01 6 173.42 8 10 Adam Rippon United States 259.36 87.95 7 171.41 10 11 Oleksii Bychenko Israel 257.01 84.13 13 172.88 9 12 Keegan Messing Canada 255.43 85.11 10 170.32 12 13 Daniel Samohin Israel 251.44 80.69 18 170.75 11 14 Jorik Hendrickx Belgium 248.95 84.74 11 164.21 16 15 Cha Jun - hwan South Korea 248.59 83.43 15 165.16 14 16 Michal Březina Czech Republic 246.07 85.15 9 160.92 18 17 Misha Ge Uzbekistan 244.94 83.90 14 161.04 17 18 Keiji Tanaka Japan 244.83 80.05 20 164.78 15 19 Deniss Vasiļjevs Latvia 234.58 79.52 21 155.06 20 20 Brendan Kerry Australia 233.81 83.06 16 150.75 21 21 Matteo Rizzo Italy 232.41 75.63 23 156.78 19 22 Paul Fentz Germany 214.55 74.73 24 139.82 22 23 Yan Han China 213.01 80.63 19 132.38 23 24 Moris Kvitelashvili Georgia 204.57 76.56 22 128.01 24 Did not advance to free skating 25 Julian Yee Malaysia 73.58 25 26 Chafik Besseghier France 72.10 26 27 Denis Ten Kazakhstan 70.12 27 28 Michael Christian Martinez Philippines 55.56 28 29 Felipe Montoya Spain 52.41 29 30 Yaroslav Paniot Ukraine 46.58 30 TP - Total points ; SP - Short program ; FS - Free skating References ( edit ) Jump up ^ `` Venues '' . www.pyeongchang2018.com/ . Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Organizing Committee for the 2018 Winter Olympics . Retrieved 26 December 2017 . Jump up ^ Start list ^ Jump up to : `` Schedule '' . Retrieved 6 January 2018 . Jump up ^ `` Hanyu edges out YOG star for skating gold '' . olympic.org. 17 February 2018 . Retrieved 17 February 2018 . Jump up ^ `` Nathan Chen Makes Olympic History With 6 Quad Jumps '' . Time . Retrieved 2018 - 02 - 24 . Jump up ^ `` Personal Bests '' . www.isuresults.com . Retrieved 2018 - 02 - 24 . Jump up ^ `` Qualification Systems for XXIII Olympic Winter Games , PyeongChang 2018 , Figure skating '' . International Skating Union ( ISU ) . 17 May 2016 . Retrieved 20 January 2018 . Jump up ^ `` Extract from ISU Communication 2097 '' . www.iceskating.org.uk/ . National Ice Skating Association ( UK ) . Retrieved 20 January 2018 . Jump up ^ `` Judges Details Per Skater : Figure Skating Men 's Short Program Results '' ( PDF ) . International Skating Union ( PDF ) . Retrieved 16 February 2018 . Jump up ^ `` Judges Details Per Skater : Figure Skating Men 's Free Skating Results '' ( PDF ) . International Skating Union ( PDF ) . Retrieved 17 February 2018 . Jump up ^ `` Judges Details Per Skater : Figure Skating Men 's Total Results '' . International Skating Union . Retrieved 17 February 2018 . Olympic champions in figure skating -- Men 's singles 1908 : Ulrich Salchow ( SWE ) 1920 : Gillis Grafström ( SWE ) 1924 : Gillis Grafström ( SWE ) 1928 : Gillis Grafström ( SWE ) 1932 : Karl Schäfer ( AUT ) 1936 : Karl Schäfer ( AUT ) 1948 : Dick Button ( USA ) 1952 : Dick Button ( USA ) 1956 : Hayes Alan Jenkins ( USA ) 1960 : David Jenkins ( USA ) 1964 : Manfred Schnelldorfer ( EUA ) 1968 : Wolfgang Schwarz ( AUT ) 1972 : Ondrej Nepela ( TCH ) 1976 : John Curry ( GBR ) 1980 : Robin Cousins ( GBR ) 1984 : Scott Hamilton ( USA ) 1988 : Brian Boitano ( USA ) 1992 : Viktor Petrenko ( EUN ) 1994 : Alexei Urmanov ( RUS ) 1998 : Ilia Kulik ( RUS ) 2002 : Alexei Yagudin ( RUS ) 2006 : Evgeni Plushenko ( RUS ) 2010 : Evan Lysacek ( USA ) 2014 : Yuzuru Hanyu ( JPN ) 2018 : Yuzuru Hanyu ( JPN ) Record scores in figure skating Combined total ( Total ) Short program ( SP ) Free skating ( FS ) Short dance ( SD ) Free dance ( FD ) Juniors ( J ) Men Total : Yuzuru Hanyu 330.43 SP : Yuzuru Hanyu 112.72 FS : Yuzuru Hanyu 223.20 Total ( J ) : Vincent Zhou 258.11 SP ( J ) : Shoma Uno 84.87 FS ( J ) : Vincent Zhou 179.24 Ladies Total : Evgenia Medvedeva 241.31 SP : Alina Zagitova 82.92 FS : Evgenia Medvedeva 160.46 Total ( J ) : Alexandra Trusova 225.52 SP ( J ) : Alexandra Trusova 73.25 FS ( J ) : Alexandra Trusova 153.49 Pairs Total : Aliona Savchenko / Bruno Massot 245.84 SP : Tatiana Volosozhar / Maxim Trankov 84.17 FS : Savchenko / Massot 162.86 Total ( J ) : Anna Dušková / Martin Bidař 181.82 SP ( J ) : Amina Atakhanova / Ilia Spiridonov 64.79 FS ( J ) : Sui Wenjing / Han Cong 118.54 Ice dance Total : Gabriella Papadakis / Guillaume Cizeron 207.20 SD : Papadakis / Cizeron 83.73 FD : Papadakis / Cizeron 123.47 Total ( J ) : Rachel Parsons / Michael Parsons 164.83 SD ( J ) : R. Parsons / M. Parsons 67.88 FD ( J ) : R. Parsons / M. Parsons 97.54 See also Progression of record scores Record technical and component scores Highest technical element scores Highest program component scores See also ( J ) Record junior scores Progression of record scores ( J ) Record technical and component scores ( J ) Highest technical element scores ( J ) Highest program component scores ( J ) 2017 -- 18 figure skating season Olympics Qualification Men 's singles Ladies ' singles Pair skating Ice dancing Team event ISU Championships European Championships Four Continents Championships World Junior Championships World Championships ISU Grand Prix Rostelecom Cup Skate Canada International Cup of China NHK Trophy Internationaux de France Skate America Grand Prix Final ISU Challenger Series U.S. Classic Lombardia Trophy Autumn Classic Ondrej Nepela Trophy Nebelhorn Trophy Finlandia Trophy Minsk - Arena Ice Star Warsaw Cup Tallinn Trophy Golden Spin of Zagreb Junior internationals ISU Junior Grand Prix Junior Grand Prix Final National championships Canada China Germany Japan Russia South Korea United States Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Figure_skating_at_the_2018_Winter_Olympics_ -- _Men % 27s_singles&oldid = 833477722 '' Categories : Figure skating at the 2018 Winter Olympics Men 's events at the 2018 Winter Olympics Talk Contents About Wikipedia Čeština Deutsch Español Français 한국어 Italiano Magyar Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Română Русский Suomi Türkçe Українська 中文 9 more Edit links This page was last edited on 31 March 2018 , at 20 : 06 . 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Question: who won the men's ice skating 2018


Permanent members of the United Nations Security Council - wikipedia Permanent members of the United Nations Security Council Jump to : navigation , search The permanent members of the United Nations Security Council . The permanent members of the United Nations Security Council ( also known as the Permanent Five , Big Five , or P5 ) are the five states which the UN Charter of 1945 grants a permanent seat on the UN Security Council ( UNSC ) : China ( formerly the Republic of China ) , Russia ( formerly the Soviet Union ) , France , the United Kingdom , and the United States . These countries were all allies in World War II , which they won . They are also all nuclear weapons states . A total of 15 UN member states serve on the UNSC , the remainder of which are elected . Only the five permanent members have the power of veto , which enables them to prevent the adoption of any `` substantive '' draft Council resolution , regardless of its level of international support . Contents ( hide ) 1 Current permanent members 1.1 Veto power 2 Expansion 3 Current leaders of the permanent members 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References Current permanent members ( edit ) See also : China and the United Nations , France and the United Nations , Russia and the United Nations , Soviet Union and the United Nations , United Kingdom and the United Nations , and United States and the United Nations Country Current state representation Former state representation Current leaders Current representative China People 's Republic of China ( since 1971 ) Republic of China ( 1945 -- 1949 ) ( on both Mainland China and Taiwan ) Republic of China ( 1949 -- 1971 ) ( only on Taiwan ) President : Xi Jinping Premier : Li Keqiang Ma Zhaoxu France French Fifth Republic ( since 1958 ) Provisional Government of the French Republic ( 1945 -- 1946 ) French Fourth Republic ( 1946 -- 1958 ) President : Emmanuel Macron Prime Minister : Édouard Philippe François Delattre Russia Russian Federation ( since 1991 ) Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( 1945 -- 1991 ) President : Vladimir Putin Prime Minister : Dmitry Medvedev Vasily Nebenzya United Kingdom United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ( since 1945 ) -- Monarch : Queen Elizabeth II Prime Minister : Theresa May Karen Pierce United States United States of America ( since 1945 ) -- President : Donald Trump Vice President : Mike Pence Nikki Haley The original permanent members of the United Nations Security Council in 1945 ( dark blue ) with their respective colonies and other holdings shown ( pale blue ) . At the UN 's founding in 1945 , the five permanent members of the Security Council were the French Republic , the Republic of China , the Soviet Union , the United Kingdom , and the United States . There have been two seat changes since then , although not reflected in Article 23 of the United Nations Charter as it has not been accordingly amended : Leaders of the five permanent member states at a summit in 2000 . Clockwise from front left : Chinese President Jiang Zemin , U.S. President Bill Clinton , UK Prime Minister Tony Blair , Russian President Vladimir Putin , and French President Jacques Chirac . China 's seat was originally held by the Nationalist government of the Republic of China . However , it lost the Chinese Civil War and retreated to the island of Taiwan in 1949 . The Communist Party won control of mainland China and established the People 's Republic of China . In 1971 , UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 recognized the Government of People 's Republic of China as the legal representative of China in the UN , and gave it the seat on the Security Council that had been held by the Republic of China , which was expelled from the UN altogether . Both governments still officially claim one another 's territory . However , only 20 states continue to officially recognize the Republic of China 's sovereignty . After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 , Russia was recognized as the legal successor state of the Soviet Union and maintained the latter 's position on the Security Council . Additionally , France reformed its provisional government into the French Fourth Republic in 1946 and later into the French Fifth Republic in 1958 , both under the leadership of Charles de Gaulle . France maintained its seat as there was no change in its international status or recognition , although many of its overseas possessions eventually became independent . The five permanent members of the Security Council were the victorious powers in World War II and have maintained the world 's most powerful military forces ever since . They annually top the list of countries with the highest military expenditures ; in 2011 , they spent over US $ 1 trillion combined on defense , accounting for over 60 % of global military expenditures ( the U.S. alone accounting for over 40 % ) . They are also five of the world 's six largest arms exporters , along with Germany and are the only nations officially recognized as `` nuclear - weapon states '' under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons ( NPT ) , though there are other states known or believed to be in possession of nuclear weapons . Veto power ( edit ) Main article : United Nations Security Council veto power The `` power of veto '' refers to the veto power wielded solely by the permanent members , enabling them to prevent the adoption of any `` substantive '' draft Council resolution , regardless of the level of international support for the draft . The veto does not apply to procedural votes , which is significant in that the Security Council 's permanent membership can vote against a `` procedural '' draft resolution , without necessarily blocking its adoption by the Council . The veto is exercised when any permanent member -- the so - called `` P5 '' -- casts a `` negative '' vote on a `` substantive '' draft resolution . Abstention or absence from the vote by a permanent member does not prevent a draft resolution from being adopted . Expansion ( edit ) Main article : Reform of the United Nations Security Council The G4 nations that support one another 's bids for permanent seats on the UN Security Council There have been proposals suggesting the introduction of new permanent members . The candidates usually mentioned are Brazil , Germany , India , and Japan . They comprise the group of four countries known as the G4 nations , which mutually support one another 's bids for permanent seats . This sort of reform has traditionally been opposed by the `` Uniting for Consensus '' group , which is composed primarily of nations that are regional rivals and economic competitors of the G4 . The group is led by Italy and Spain ( opposing Germany ) , Mexico , Colombia , and Argentina ( opposing Brazil ) , and South Korea ( opposing Japan ) , in addition to Turkey , Indonesia and others . Since 1992 , Italy and other council members have instead proposed semi-permanent seats or expanding the number of temporary seats . Most of the leading candidates for permanent membership are regularly elected onto the Security Council by their respective groups . Japan was elected for eleven two - year terms , Brazil for ten terms , and Germany for three terms . India has been elected to the council seven times in total , with the most recent successful bid being in 2010 after a gap of almost twenty years since 1991 -- 92 . In 2013 , the P5 and G4 members of the UN Security Council accounted for eight of the world 's ten largest defense budgets , according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute ( SIPRI ) . Current leaders of the permanent members ( edit ) The following are the heads of state and government that represent the permanent members of the UN Security Council as of 2018 : Xi Jinping President of the People 's Republic of China since 14 March 2013 ( General Secretary as de facto leader since 15 November 2012 ) Emmanuel Macron President of the French Republic since 14 May 2017 Vladimir Putin President of the Russian Federation since 7 May 2012 ( de facto leader since 7 May 2000 ) Theresa May Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland since 13 July 2016 Donald Trump President of the United States of America since 20 January 2017 See also ( edit ) List of country groupings Notes ( edit ) ^ Jump up to : The de jure head of government of China is the Premier , whose current holder is Li Keqiang . The President of China is legally a ceremonial office , but the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China ( de facto leader ) has always held this office since 1993 except for the months of transition , and the current paramount leader is President Xi Jinping . References ( edit ) Jump up ^ `` The UN Security Council '' . unfoundation.org . United Nations Foundation . Retrieved 17 February 2017 . ^ Jump up to : `` List of heads of missions '' ( PDF ) . ( 60.1 KB ) Jump up ^ Nichols , Michelle ( 2012 - 07 - 27 ) . `` United Nations fails to agree landmark arms - trade treaty '' . Reuters . NewsDaily . Retrieved 2012 - 07 - 28 . One of the reasons this month 's negotiations are taking place is that the United States , the world 's biggest arms trader accounting for over 40 percent of global conventional arms transfers , reversed U.S. policy on the issue after Barack Obama became president and decided in 2009 to support a treaty ... The other five top arms suppliers are Britain , China , France , Germany and Russia . Jump up ^ `` Countries Welcome Work Plan as Security Council Reform Process Commences New Phase Center for UN Reform Education '' . CenterforUNReform.org . Retrieved 2011 - 09 - 19 . Jump up ^ `` Italian Model '' ( PDF ) . Global Policy Forum. 2005 . Archived from the original ( PDF ) on May 19 , 2009 . ( hide ) Security Council of the United Nations Power Chapter V Chapter VII Veto Resolution Organization Military Observer Peacebuilding Commission Counter-Terrorism Committee Peacekeeping Missions United Nations Command Unified Task Force Members Permanent China France Russia United Kingdom United States 2016 -- 2017 Egypt Japan Senegal Ukraine Uruguay 2017 Italy 2017 -- 2018 Bolivia Ethiopia Kazakhstan Sweden United Nations António Guterres , Secretary - General Amina J. 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Question: who are the permanent member of un security council

China (formerly the Republic of China), Russia (formerly the Soviet Union), France, the United Kingdom, and the United States