Rainstorms and Air Quality
Damp grass, rainbows, and puddles on the street can all be found in the aftermath of a rainstorm. But did you know that rain also helps clean polluted air? A keen observer might notice that the clearest days in a city with the best visibility are often following a heavy rain! This is because rain droplets can accumulate pollutants like particles as they fall. For example, The graph below shows how the concentrations of PM and CO drop significantly during a rainstorm on December 26, 2022.
