Can You Really Smell The Rain?

With this being a rainy day, I've always wondered how people could tell it was about to rain because of the way it smelled? Now I finally have found the answer.

The term used to describe the smell of rain is Petrichor.

Two researchers coined the phrase in an 1964 article in the journal Nature.

They ran experiments that steam-distilled rocks to reveal a yellow oil that was trapped in the rocks and soil, which accounts for the distinctive smell.

The scent is usually the strongest as it begins to rain or just before it starts.

According to the National Weather Service;

petrichor can be most noticeable when it rains after a long dry spell on a hot day. That's because the drier the soil, the greater the buildup of plant oils and bacteria spores on the ground. Now I have a valid answer to my question.

Now I have a valid answer to my question, you can smell the rain.