Approximately 25% of India's monsoon rain mass evaporates mid-air before ever touching the ground.
It was a recent study by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune.
The mid-air loss is dictated primarily by localised atmospheric factors like ambient temperature, heat, and dry air.
While the average mid-air loss sits at 25%, the exact evaporation rate fluctuates wildly from day to day—ranging from 4% up to 61% depending on ambient weather conditions.
When water evaporates, lighter water molecules escape into the air first.
This leaves the remaining falling raindrop highly enriched with heavier hydrogen and oxygen isotopes.
India's 25% mid-air evaporation rate sits on the lower end of global baselines.
The primary measurements were gathered over the northern Western Ghats and Pune during the Southwest monsoon season.