Part of a series on
Weather
Temperate and polar seasons Winter Spring Summer Autumn
Tropical seasons Dry season Harmattan Wet season
Storms Cloud Cumulonimbus cloud Arcus cloud Downburst Microburst Heat burst Derecho Lightning Volcanic lightning Thunderstorm Air-mass thunderstorm Thundersnow Dry thunderstorm Mesocyclone Supercell Tornado Anticyclonic tornado Landspout Waterspout Dust devil Fire whirl Anticyclone Cyclone Polar low Extratropical cyclone European windstorm Nor'easter Subtropical cyclone Tropical cyclone Atlantic hurricane Typhoon Storm surge Dust storm Simoom Haboob Monsoon Amihan Gale Sirocco Firestorm Winter storm Ice storm Blizzard Ground blizzard Snow squall
Precipitation Drizzle Freezing Graupel Hail Megacryometeor Ice pellets Diamond dust Rain Freezing Cloudburst Snow Rain and snow mixed Snow grains Snow roller Slush
Topics Air pollution Atmosphere Chemistry Convection Physics River Climate Cloud Physics Fog Mist Season Cold wave Heat wave Jet stream Meteorology Severe weather List Extreme Severe weather terminology Canada Japan United States Weather forecasting Weather modification
Glossaries Meteorology Climate change Tornado terms Tropical cyclone terms
Weather portal

A precipitation shaft is a weather phenomenon, visible from the ground at large distances from the storm system, as a dark vertical shaft of heavy rain, hail, or snow, generally localized over a relatively small area.

This is different from a virga, which is a shaft of precipitation that evaporates before reaching the ground.

A precipitation shaft is mostly found underneath convective clouds, such as cumulonimbus cloud or cumulus congestus cloud during a downpour storm, as these have well defined vertical drafts (updrafts and downdrafts) needed for heavy precipitation. However, an advancing nimbostratus cloud could have a diffuse precipitation leading edge, so its shaft may be unclear.^{[citation needed]}

Developing rain shafts often have a fuzzy, bulbous appearance as they descend. If a source of dry air is present at higher altitude and the air into which the rain is falling is sufficiently warm, then strong, then possibly damaging microbursts are possible as sinking air forms.^[1]

• Downburst
• Shower