A Rainstorm

A moderate rainstorm and all the energy it carries/Weather & Climate

A moderate rainstorm covering an area of 100 square kilometers releases an astonishing amount of energy -- roughly 1 petajoule over its lifetime, equivalent to about 240,000 tons of TNT. This energy comes from the latent heat released when water vapor condenses into rain droplets. A typical storm lasts about two hours and drops roughly 25 millimeters of rain. The next time you are annoyed at getting wet, remember that you are standing beneath an event that dwarfs most nuclear weapons in total energy output.