Why Do We Love the Smell of Rain Before It Falls?

Before it rains, the air gets a special smell, like fresh grass or something clean. This happens because lightning in the clouds makes a chemical called ozone. Ozone smells nice and reminds us of being outside. It's like nature is giving us a little gift before the rain starts.

Take the quiz →

Examples

A child laughs while running through the rain, feeling happy because of the fresh scent in the air.
You feel calm as you walk outside just before it rains, knowing that something wonderful is about to happen.
The smell of rain makes your mom smile and say, 'This reminds me of when I was a kid.'

Ask a question

Discussion

Recent activity

Categories: Environment · rain,smell,ozone