# What is that smell after it rains? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 15, 2017, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-smell-after-it-rains/782226 "2017-03-15T12:11:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-smell-after-it-rains/782226/1 "2017-03-15T12:11:27Z")
I’ve always associated that somewhat putrid smell that frequently occurs after rains during non-winter months as being the product of dead worms (you see 'em all over the pavement, frequently squashed by passers by) but given that there likely hasn’t been enough time for the critters to actually rot, maybe that’s not the cause. Does anyone know (or have a plausible theory) what accounts for that unpleasant aroma? ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-smell-after-it-rains/782226/2 "2017-03-15T12:22:26Z")
One of my favorite weird words: petrichor. [Petrichor - Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrichor) ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-smell-after-it-rains/782226/3 "2017-03-15T12:52:16Z")
the master speaks about before > **[What’s that smell right before it rains? Plus: Will spinning around too much...](https://www.straightdope.com/21344114/what-s-that-smell-right-before-it-rains-plus-will-spinning-around-too-much-kill-you)** and wiki speaks about after > **[Petrichor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrichor)** > > Petrichor (/ˈpɛtrɪˌkɔːr/) is the earthy scent produced when rain falls on dry soil. The word is constructed from Ancient Greek πέτρα (pétra) 'rock', or πέτρος (pétros) 'stone', and ἰχώρ (ikhṓr), the ethereal fluid that is the blood of the gods in Greek mythology. > Long before this phenomenon received its name in 1964, it had been noticed and discussed in scientific circles. > On 17 April 1891, a brief note on the phenomenon, by Thomas Lambe Phipson \[fr\] (1833–1908), appeared in The Chemical New... mc dammit, half ninja’d by about 30 mins, dont know how i didnt see the reply ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-smell-after-it-rains/782226/4 "2017-03-15T14:09:54Z")
So the smell isn’t a mix of dreams and sorrows that had been washed away? ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-smell-after-it-rains/782226/5 "2017-03-15T15:01:02Z")
> [@mikecurtis](#): > > the master speaks about before > [What’s that smell right before it rains? Plus: Will spinning around too much kill you? - The Straight Dope](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/3023/what-s-that-smell-right-before-it-rains-plus) The questioner wanted to know about before, but Cecil speaks about after (or during). ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-smell-after-it-rains/782226/6 "2017-03-15T15:05:43Z")
> [@x-ray\_vision](#): > > The questioner wanted to know about before, but Cecil speaks about after (or during). reverse that; and i did point that out. mc ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-smell-after-it-rains/782226/7 "2017-03-15T15:31:21Z")
Fuck me, I _first_ saw the word **Petrichor** one hour before reading this. I was looking up **[Sirens](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siren_%28mythology%29)**, and saw the word **Mantic** ( of divination ), and where I looked had a box saying: '**[10 Weather Words You Need To Know’](http://www.dictionary.com/slideshows/10-weather-words-you-need-to-know?param=DcomSERP#Petrichor)**. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-smell-after-it-rains/782226/8 "2017-03-15T15:37:24Z")
> [@mikecurtis](#): > > reverse that; and i did point that out. Huh? ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-smell-after-it-rains/782226/9 "2017-03-15T15:44:51Z")
Are you referring to the smell of hot asphalt when is is rained on? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-smell-after-it-rains/782226/10 "2017-03-15T15:50:51Z")
[Geosmin.](http://www.goodsweetearth.com/blog/that-fresh-earth-smell-after-it-rains) > [@](#): > > Geosmin is an organic compound produced by a microorganism found in all soil, and it carries a distinct aroma and flavor. It’s what gives beets their earthy flavor. Sometimes if you drink water that’s been sitting out for a while, it develops a musty taste, and that, too, is caused by geosmin. Wine is known to pick up this flavor as well. > > When it rains, water fills the air pockets found in the soil, and the geosmin gets expelled into the air. Sometimes you’ll even get an earthy whiff of geosmin before it rains. How, you ask? Well, a low-pressure system can de-gas the soil and put those geosmin into the air before a drop of water even hits the ground… ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-smell-after-it-rains/782226/11 "2017-03-15T16:10:59Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > So the smell isn’t a mix of dreams and sorrows that had been washed away? Really too bad it isn’t. I liked your explanation better. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-smell-after-it-rains/782226/12 "2017-03-15T16:12:41Z")
> [@Evan\_Drake](#): > > Fuck me, I _first_ saw the word **Petrichor** one hour before reading this. There’s a name for this situation, but I can’t remember it. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-smell-after-it-rains/782226/13 "2017-03-15T16:17:48Z")
^ Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon? ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-smell-after-it-rains/782226/14 "2017-03-15T17:09:21Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > Are you referring to the smell of hot asphalt when is is rained on? No, it’s something very organic-smelling. Seems geosmin or petrichor is the very thing I was trying to get at. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-smell-after-it-rains/782226/15 "2017-03-15T17:32:39Z")
The part that confuses me is that you describe the smell as unpleasant? It’s a nice smell, earthy and humid and natural. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-smell-after-it-rains/782226/16 "2017-03-15T17:36:16Z")
Some people say that cucumbers taste better pickled. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-smell-after-it-rains/782226/17 "2017-03-15T18:35:58Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > The part that confuses me is that you describe the smell as unpleasant? It’s a nice smell, earthy and humid and natural. The quote about geosmin notes that beets get some of their aroma from this. My number one complaint about beets is that they taste like dirt. I think OP is on the right track. ---
**Author:** ![pompeybear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8c91f0/32.png) [@pompeybear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pompeybear)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-that-smell-after-it-rains/782226/18 "2017-03-15T20:35:30Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > The part that confuses me is that you describe the smell as unpleasant? It’s a nice smell, earthy and humid and natural. Yeah. I love the smell of a summer rain. Well, typically anyway. I’ve noted in certain large cities it smells like spoiled cabbage during a rain, but in most places I love it.