History Main / WhenItRainsItPours

* The last time it rained as hard as it does in ''Film/TheCrow'', Noah built himself a boat.

** Indeed, in 2014, the Biblical story of Noah became an epic movie that would have gladdened the heart of Cecil B. deMille.

* The tale of Noah and the great flood in ''Literature/TheBible'', caused by nonstop rain for forty days and nights.

-->''It never rains in California''
-->''But girl, don't they warn ya:''
-->''It pours''
-->''Man, it pours''

* It seems that just about every civilization on Earth has a tale relating to a great flood caused by a deluge of rain. The Babylonians had ''two'' tales of great floods, in fact.

* ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' the Hunting Range in 65 Million BC has a periodic heavy rain that comes every so often. When it happens, a Nu will come out of hiding and can be battled if the player can catch it in time. Defeating Nu's will net a great amount of experience points and tech points, making this an ideal place for early game grinding.

%% * In the first American-produced ''Film/{{Godzilla|1998}}'', every time it rains, it rains like this.

->''"Summer rains--you can never- ''[interrupted by rain]'' ...predict them."''

[[folder:Films - Animated]]

[[folder:Films - Live-Action]]

* Played with to multiple ends in ''Film/JurassicPark'', on account of a hurricane being responsible for the weather. The rain was so hard, that they couldn't use their Animatronic T-Rex, and chose to re-do the very last scene, just to give the poor "little" guy some use.
* In ''Film/LAStory'', Harris K. Telemacher is warned that "the weather will change your life twice". The first time is when it pours down, ruining his boss' yachting cruise - on a day when weatherman Harris has predicted that it will be fine and sunny.

* Mostly played straight in ''Series/{{Frasier}}'', which is set in infamously rainy Seattle. The thing is, while Seattle experiences more days with some kind of precipitation than most American cities east of the Rocky Mountains, it averages less total precipitation than most of those same cities - as said precipitation mostly occurs as light drizzle. Downpours and thunderstorms in particular are quite rare. Nevertheless, when the series depicts rain for plot or ambiance purposes, it's shown to rain heavily, with thunder and lightning for good measure.

* Music/AlbertHammond wrote the rather ironically named ''It Never Rains In Southern California''. Of course, as any Los Angeleno would tell you, for most of the year it doesn't. But when it ''does''... you really need all those storm gullies and debris crater fields.

* Music/LedZeppelin ''When The Levée Breaks''

* This trope wasn't bad enough for Music/TheyMightBeGiants, who instead wrote a song called "When it rains, it snows"

[[folder:Folklore and Mythology]]

* There are many places in real life where it's liable to rain like this (anywhere in the Southeastern U.S. or the center of South America for instance). Cue DramaticThunder and you'd better rush to the nearest porch or building. And, if it's in the tropics, stay there overnight. On the other hand, the UsefulNotes/PacificNorthwest and UsefulNotes/{{Britain}} are known primarily as places where it rains, but it's usually just [[GrayRainOfDepression a steady drizzle]]. However, both have been noted to seeing several days straight of nothing but a heavy downpour.

* Albert Hammond's rather ironically named ''It Never Rains In Southern California''. Of course, as any Los Angeleno would tell you, for most of the year it doesn't. But when it ''does''... you really need all those storm gullies and debris crater fields.

* Led Zeppelin ''When The Levée Breaks''

TruthInTelevision for some regions; the western U.S. is especially known for violent cloudbursts. In deserts, if it rains at all, you had best ''run'' for high ground, because the soils tend to have a hydrophobic crust which promotes flash flooding. This style of rain is also fairly common in the United Kingdom and is one of the reasons why scenes set in the country often show it [[UsefulNotes/BritishWeather raining heavily]]. In real life, this sort of rain in the UK is most common during spring and at the height of summer, usually following a period of sustained humid and hot weather. It can also happen quite frequently during late autumn and through the winter.

[[folder:Film - Animated]]

[[folder:Film - Live-Action]]

** The rainstorm in ''Film/TheMatrixRevolutions'' resembles the "raining code" iconic to the series [[RuleOfSymbolism as a way of showing]] the instability of the Matrix itself.

* ''Film/TheBatman'': Most of the night scenes in Gotham are accompanied by heavy rainfall.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' story "Rain, Rain Go away" deals with a rainfall that floods Townsville. The storm was created by a sea creature who makes everyone do a rain dance from a catchy pop tune.

* ''ComicStrip/{{Mutts}}'' seem to have a huge amount of rain falling from the sky.

* ''TheBatman'': Most of the night scenes in Gotham are accompanied by heavy rainfall.

* In the silent film ''Film/{{Sunrise}}'', as the Man and Wife sail home across the lake, the weather goes from calm to violent thunderstorm almost instantly.
* Played with to multiple ends in ''Film/JurassicPark'', on account of a hurricane being responsible for the weather. The rain was so hard, that they couldn't use their Animatronic T-Rex, and chose to re-do the very last scene, just to give the poor "little" guy some use.

* In the first American-produced ''Film/{{Godzilla|1998}}'', every time it rains, it rains like this.
* The ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' films feature heavy rain at Bree and Helm's Deep, and a blizzard in the pass of Caradhras. Otherwise, there is no precipitation. The blizzard at least was magically conjured, and the storm at Helm's Deep may have been as well.
* The last time it rained as hard as it does in ''Film/TheCrow'', Noah built himself a boat.
-->Can't rain all the time~!
** Indeed, in 2014, the Biblical story of Noah became an epic movie that would have gladdened the heart of Cecil B. deMille.
* Visually [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in ''Film/TheTrumanShow'' when it suddenly comes bucketing down on cue during a sad moment. Truman moves a few steps and... it is perfectly dry. Then the streams of heavy rain literally moves over to pour on him.
* ''Film/ForrestGump:'' In a letter to Jenny, Forrest goes on at length about the Vietnamese monsoon season. All during Tom Hanks' narration, we see the titular character coming very close to drowning in the torrential downpour.

* The first ''Film/SpiderMan1'' movie goes from grey clouds to upside-down soaked kissing in about five minutes.

* ''Film/JohnnyEnglish'' had a sudden downpour set in.
* ''Film/HardRain'' was made of this trope, as the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin name suggests]].
* In ''Film/TheBlot'' a torrential rain comes pretty much out of nowhere as Phil is walking out of the library. This is a plot point as Phil is sweet on Amelia the librarian, and gets a chance to give her a ride home.
* ''Film/{{Purgatory}}'': The only rainstorm in the movie is a massive downpour, though it wasn't natural.
* Justified in ''Film/{{Jungle}}'' as it established that the characters have three weeks to complete their trek before the rainy season starts. When Marcus complains about a heavy rainstorm, their guide Kurt tells them that compared to the rainy season, this is a light shower. Yossi is separated from the group and lost in the jungle for several weeks, meaning that his in the jungle during rainy season and every rainstorm is a torrential downpour.
* The daily downpours are a constant source of annoyance in ''Film/TheOddAngryShot''. "You could you set your watch by this bloody rain!" is practically Harry's CatchPhrase.

* ''Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid: The Deep End'': The RV park the Heffleys stay at gets hit with two back-to-back powerful storms.
* In Creator/TerryPratchett's ''Literature/TheLastContinent'', the drought [[HappyRain breaks]] with a torrential downpour, causing flash floods.

* In ''Series/ThePacific'', the rain goes on and on as a continuous downpour, giving one main character a [[SoapOperaDisease severe illness]] and prompting the [[GrizzledVeteran Staff Sgt]]. to take off his clothes and shower in it while loudly reciting the Marine rules of cleanliness. It abruptly stops.
** This is TruthInTelevision, as many of the Pacific Islands have climates that have massive downpours. (Some islands, like Hilo of Hawaii, get as much as 126 Inches/3200 Millimeters of rain a year.)
* Averted in ''Series/{{NCIS}}''. There are scenes shot of light rain in a few episodes.

* ''VideoGame/HeavyRain'': It rains basically the entire game. It even tells you how many inches fall. Like you couldn't guess from the title.
* Generally, it always rains heavily in ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'' games.
* Averted in the opening scenes of ''VideoGame/ShadowOfTheColossus'', with misty drizzle and light rain. On the other hand, it pours for the [[BattleInTheRain final battle]], although that's more a case of EmpathicEnvironment.
* Happens in ''VideoGame/{{Scratches}}'', on the second day.

* ''VideoGame/{{Patapon}}'' series: when it rains against your will, it's always a thunderstorm. When you use a rain miracle, the heavy rain is still there, but without lightning. It isn't until ''Patapon 3'' when the light rain is present and even then the light rain is more like a few big drops falling slowly.
* Downplayed in ''VideoGame/Left4Dead2'' in the aptly titled "Hard Rain" level, where the weather devolves from a light sprinkle in the first map, to normal rain causing small floods in the second, to torrential downpours with particularly violent bursts in the third an on. Justified in that it's a hurricane hitting the town they're in.
* The rain in ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' will always blot out the sun. Thunderstorms are even darker, to the point where hostile mobs can spawn out in the open and players can sleep through them.
* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' has a few locales where the rain is never gentle.
** The town of Zozo in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' may as well have been built under a waterfall.
** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'' it's always raining heavily in and around Burmecia. Initially this seems to be for dramatic effect, but you'll find it's still raining like crazy there long after the plot has forgotten it.
** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'', if it's the rainy season in the Giza Plains, the place will always be stormy, gloomy, and flooded.
* In ''VideoGame/TheFloorIsJelly'', the gelatinous ground even jiggles about as heavy downpour pounds onto it.
* The Eder Kemo age found in ''VideoGame/UruAgesBeyondMyst'' has frequent, intense rainstorms. In fact, the sky is covered in a perpetual, windy overcast. Subverted mostly because luring clouds of fireflies out of the garden without them getting wet is part of the challenge. Hence, rain showers are brief and fairly light.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman: '' The only time that it rains is right after Dick Grayson's parents' funeral ([[ItAlwaysRainsAtFunerals which actually summons another trope too]]).

* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' story "Rain, Rain Go away" deals with a rainfall that floods Townsville. The storm was created by a sea creature who makes everyone do a rain dance from a catchy pip tune.

* ''Literature/TheChaletSchool'': There are many plots about the pupils and teachers being caught in massive rainstorms, and needing emergency shelter.

-->-- '''[[WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy Double D]]''', just before a flash storm occurs.

* In ''LightNovel/GiftFromThePrincessWhoBroughtSleep'', when Hanne's carriage pulls away from the check station it's assaulted with a downpour so violent it sounds like ''hail.''

[[folder:Truth In Television]]

* ''Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid'': The RV park the Heffleys stay at gets hit with two back-to-back powerful storms.

If a light rain has to be used, it's usually represented as slow moving sparse white lines.

TruthInTelevision for some regions; the western U.S. is especially known for violent cloudbursts. In deserts, if it rains at all, you had best ''run'' for high ground, because the soils tend to have a hydrophobic crust which promotes flash flooding. This style of rain is also fairly common in the United Kingdom, and is one of the reasons why scenes set in the country often show it [[UsefulNotes/BritishWeather raining heavily]]. In real life, this sort of rain in the UK is most common during spring and at the height of summer, usually following a period of sustained humid and hot weather. It can also happen quite frequently during late autumn and through the winter.

* In ''ComicBook/SinCity'', it generally only rains when a major plot point comes to the surface, like Marv realizing some crucial facts about Goldie and her reason for coming to him, or Dwight and the Girls of Old Town finding out that the abusive scumbag they just killed is not only a cop, but is a decorated hero.

* ''ComicStrip/{{Mutts}}'' seem to have a huge amounts of rain falling from the sky.

** Indeed, in 2014 the Biblical story of Noah became an epic movie that would have gladdened the heart of Cecil B. deMille.

* The daily downpours are constant source of annoyance in ''Film/TheOddAngryShot''. "You could you set your watch by this bloody rain!" is practically Harry's CatchPhrase.

* ''Literature/TheFamousFive'': There are many heavy rainstorms, and when they happen, usually the Five are well wrapped-up in macintoshes and sou'westers.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

** This is TruthInTelevision, as many of the Pacific Islands have climates that have massive downpours. (Some islands, like Hilo of Hawaii, gets as much as 126 Inches/3200 Millimeters of rain a year.)

* In the ''Series/{{Thunderbirds}}'' episode "End of the Road", it rains very heavily indeed, causing landslides which interfere with a road-building project.

* Albert Hammond's rather ironically-named ''It Never Rains In Southern California''. Of course, as any Los Angeleno would tell you, for most of the year it doesn't. But when it ''does''... you really need all those storm gullies and debris crater fields.

* It seems that just about every civilization on Earth has a tale relating to a great flood caused by a deluge of rain. The Baylonians had ''two'' tales of great floods, in fact.

** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'', if it's the rainy season in the Giza Plains, the place will always be stormy, gloomy and flooded.

** "Water Water Every Hare" starts with a rainstorm which floods Bugs Bunny out of his hole while he's sleeping.
** Daffy Duck finds a gold rock in the desert in "Aqua Duck," but he's also dying of thirst. A desert rat offers to sell Daffy a glass of water for the gold, and towards the end he gives in. Just as Daffy is about to take a drink, it rains hard enough to flood right up to his neck.

* Danish summer is also infamous for this, given that July and August are in the top 3 of rainiest months, but also in the top of 3 of sunniest months. This means that on a given Danish summer day, you'll most likely either see the sun shining brightly from a clear sky or experience a downpour so bad that it's nigh-impossible to be outside. Cloudy days with light drizzles mostly occur in fall and spring.