Waving in the rain

We consider the effect of rain on wind wave generation and dissipation. Rain falling on a wavy surface may have a marked tendency to dampen the shorter waves in the tail of the spectrum, the related range increasing with the rain rate. Historical and sailors' reports suggest that this leads to calmer wave conditions, certainly so for the action of breakers. We have explored this situation using a fully coupled meteorological-wave model system, adding an artificial rain rate-dependent damping of the tail. Contrarily to direct marine experience, the experimental results show higher wind speeds and wave heights. A solid indication of the truth is achieved with the direct comparison between operational model (where rain effect is ignored) and measured data. These strongly support the sailors' claims of less severe wave conditions under heavy rain. This leads to a keen analysis of the overall process, in particular on the role of the tail of the spectrum in modulating the wind input and the white-capping, and how this is presently modeled in operational activity. We suggest that some revision is due and that the relationship between white-capping and generation by wind is deeper and more implicative than presently generally assumed.