as in rains
a steady falling of water from the sky in significant quantity
we ran into a big rainstorm on Highway 6, and the visibility was so poor we had to pull over
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Recent Examples of rainstorms
In spring 1927, following months of wet weather, the Mississippi burst its banks during a series of intense rainstorms.
—
Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 31 May 2026
Airflow One of the easiest ways to prevent algae is to help your stepping stones dry faster after rainstorms or watering.
—Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 26 May 2026
In other words, they are designed under the assumption that rainstorms like the one this week are just like rainstorms in 1970.
—Marshall Shepherd, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Alaska is the fastest-warming US state and is no stranger to sudden major rainstorms and strong typhoons.
—Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 17 May 2026
Climate change is bringing stronger rainstorms to New England, overwhelming aging sewer systems and sending more pollution into the river.
—Jacob Wycoff, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
Summer also brings on rainstorms with lightning and flash flooding.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 17 Apr. 2026
Rainstorms Are Driving the Surge in Animal Rescues Central Texas rainstorms have compounded the influx.
—Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 13 Apr. 2026
Southern California may experience more frequent rainstorms this fall and winter when a powerful El Niño system is expected to be in full effect.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 31 May 2026
Airflow One of the easiest ways to prevent algae is to help your stepping stones dry faster after rainstorms or watering.
—Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 26 May 2026
In other words, they are designed under the assumption that rainstorms like the one this week are just like rainstorms in 1970.
—Marshall Shepherd, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Alaska is the fastest-warming US state and is no stranger to sudden major rainstorms and strong typhoons.
—Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 17 May 2026
Climate change is bringing stronger rainstorms to New England, overwhelming aging sewer systems and sending more pollution into the river.
—Jacob Wycoff, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
Summer also brings on rainstorms with lightning and flash flooding.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 17 Apr. 2026
Rainstorms Are Driving the Surge in Animal Rescues Central Texas rainstorms have compounded the influx.
—Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 13 Apr. 2026
Southern California may experience more frequent rainstorms this fall and winter when a powerful El Niño system is expected to be in full effect.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rainstorms
Noun
-
Recent rains had made the water murky, CBS News previously reported.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
-
Heavy rains from a typhoon delayed the search until Wednesday, according to Takuya Nishikawa of the Kyoto Prefectural Police Headquarters.—
Mirna Alsharif,
NBC news,
6 June 2026
Noun
-
Both items are nice to have in Arizona, where AC units run hard through summer and monsoon storms can leave roofs in need of repair.—
Sharon Wu,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
-
The English musician was still getting the hang of the ever-changing nature of New York summer weather — which this past weekend included a fair share of flash storms — but was in high spirits nonetheless.—
Leigh Nordstrom,
Footwear News,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rainstorms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rainstorms. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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