driftbuien

Driftbuien is a Dutch-language term used mainly in informal weather reporting to describe short, localized bursts of precipitation that seem to drift with the wind. The word combines drift, referring to movement carried by air, with buien, the common Dutch word for rain showers. It is not an official meteorological term; in professional contexts precipitation is described using terms such as showers, convective cells, or rainbands.

Usage and context

The phrase appears in weather blogs, local news segments, and social media rather than in official forecasts. Because there is no standardized definition, driftbuien can refer to rain that moves slowly across a landscape, rain associated with a gust front, or a moving line of showers produced by convective activity that looks as if it is drifting.

Characteristics and formation

Driftbuien tend to be brief and localized, often lasting only a few minutes to about fifteen minutes, with varying intensity. They are commonly linked to specific wind patterns, such as sea-breeze fronts, frontal passages, or orographic lift, which cause patches of precipitation to move with the local air flow.

Impact

For observers, driftbuien can disrupt outdoor plans and reduce local visibility, but total rainfall is typically modest. In formal forecasting, the lack of a standardized definition means driftbuien are not used for hazard warnings or official classifications.

See also

Showers, convective precipitation, squalls, microbursts, weather reporting.