This strong wind can cause danger to flights as well as danger at the ground, often causing damage. Virga forms from microbursts as the strong winds carry precipitation down from the cloud, but the precipitation evaporates. … Virga can cause meteorologists to catch the blame for a wrong prediction.

Why is it called virga?

Etymology. The word is derived from the Latin virga, meaning “rod, sprig, staff, branch, shoot, twig, spray, sprout, switch, graft.”

What is the name of rain that doesn't reach the ground?

The phenomenon that appears instead is called virga. Virga is defined by the National Weather Service as, “streaks or wisps of precipitation falling from a cloud but evaporating before reaching the ground.”