What are flat or elongated drops?

Flat or elongated drops are water droplets that look different from regular round raindrops.

Imagine you're holding a spoon and dripping honey, it doesn't just fall as a perfect little ball; instead, it stretches out into a long, wobbly line. That's kind of what happens with flat or elongated drops. When water falls in certain ways, like when the wind is blowing or the surface it lands on is special, the droplets don’t stay round, they flatten out or stretch into shapes that look more like little pancakes or stretched-out beans.

Sometimes, a drop hits something soft, like a leaf or your hand. It doesn't just fall straight down, it spreads out, making the drop flat. Other times, if the water is moving quickly or hit by another droplet, it can become elongated, like being squeezed from both sides.

Think of it like playing with playdough: if you press it flat on a table, it becomes wide and thin. If you stretch it between your fingers, it gets long and skinny. Water drops do something similar, just much faster!