I’m sitting here on a rainy day in March thinking about our April quiz.
When I was in elementary school, certain months of the year were identified by sayings. March was “In Like a Lion and Out Like a Lamb” or its reverse, “In Like a Lamb and Out Like a Lion.”
According to this saying, the weather at the start of March is never the same as the weather at the end of the month. The other saying I remember most is about April, “April showers bring May flowers.”
Over coffee my friend Sheila and I were discussing ideas for upcoming issues of the magazine. She mentioned how much it rains in Pittsburgh during April. I’ve featured rain in past issues, but she gave me the idea for a fun quiz and a new twist on how we look at rain.
I explored facts, myths, and old folk tales and learned some interesting information about the wet stuff. How much do you know about rain? Take our true or false quiz and find out. Good Luck!
Answers to this quiz are at the end of this issue. Keep reading or use our link, https://www.thisawfulawesomelife.com/home/2026/4/9/next-month-in-this-awful-awesome-life-may-2026-by-fran-joyce
1. Washington is the U.S. state with the highest annual rainfall. T or F
2. The highest recorded annual rainfall in any place in any one year in the world is 11,621 mm (38.12 feet or 457.51 inches). T or F
3. Climate change does not affect rainfall patterns in the United States and across the world. T or F
4. Petrichor is the earthy scent that arises when rain hits dry soil. T or F
5. Nevada is the U.S. state with the lowest annual rainfall. T or F
6. The top five rainiest U.S. states are Washington, Oregon, Mississippi, Hawaii, and Pennsylvania. T or F
7. The rain capital of the world is Iquitos, Peru in the Amazon rainforest. T or F
8. Birds fly low before it rains because low atmospheric pressure makes flying more labor intensive. T or F
9. Birds fly low before it rains because low atmospheric pressure forces insects closer to the ground making it easier for birds to hunt their prey. T or F
10. Cows lying down can mean wet weather is on the way. T or F
11. A ring around the moon blocks out the rain. T or F
12. The Hawaiian language has only one word for rain. T or F
13. The Atacama Desert in northern Chile is considered the driest non-polar place on Earth with some areas recording no rainfall in over 400 years. T or F
14. Water in the form of a gas is water vapor. T or F
15. In rare cases, strong winds or waterspouts can lift small creatures like frogs or fish out of the water and drop them in other places. T or F
Sources for this Quiz:
12 Old Wives’ Tales About the Weather That Turned Out to Be Right | Illumeably