Have you ever heard someone say that it’s about to rain as if they could sense it, or in some cases, smell it? That’s right. For many years, the debate has been going on amongst people if it is actually possible for people to smell the upcoming rain. While some people find it amusing, some actually get to know when the weather is about to take a breezy turn. Even though not everybody is a believer, there has been scientific evidence that some people do have this magical power, and one of the reasons is petrichor.
Petrichor – The Smell of the First Rain
Petrichor is a term that is used to describe the first scent of rain. There is a great chance that you are one of those people who love this scent, but it was only after the year 2020 that scientists actually got to the roots of why people find this smell so refreshing, and so appealing. This is because of Streptomyces, a common soil bacterium that releases a gas known as geosmin. It is the scent of this gas that people find so attractive. When it rains, water droplets hit the ground and create tiny air pockets in the soil. These pockets of air then burst out of the water, carrying with them the smell of compounds that were on the ground, including geosmin. These airborne compounds can be carried by the wind, even far away from where the rain is actually falling. This is why we can sometimes smell the rain coming before it arrives.
Another Factor from the Research
Another factor that makes people smell the upcoming rain is ozone. It is the smell of the ozone that can help people identify heavy rain. The scent hits the surface because of a thunderstorm, and this is why you can only smell the ozone when there is a possibility of heavy rain.