raining buckets
Torrential precipitation outside
Raining buckets means raining extremely hard—the kind of downpour that soaks you in seconds.
The image is of water falling not in drops but in bucket-sized quantities: We canceled the picnic because it was raining buckets.
The expression is informal and emphatic, often used to justify staying indoors.
Violent weather with lightning
- tempestViolent windstorm or turmoil
- squallBrief, violent windstorm
- monsoonSeasonal tropical wind pattern
- rainstormHeavy precipitation event
nor'easter · tropical storm · cyclone · weather front · storm system · thunder · lightning · dark clouds
Sudden heavy localized rainfall
- delugeSevere overflow of water
- torrentialFlowing in violent streams
- gullywasherExtremely heavy brief rainstorm
- soakerHeavy prolonged rain
cats and dogs · sheeting · pelting · lashing · waterspout · cascade · outpouring · pouring
Covered with water
- inundatedOverwhelmed by quantity
- swampedOverwhelmed beyond capacity
- overflowingExceeding capacity, spilling out
- flash floodRapid overflow from storms
rising water · submerged · storm drains · gutters · runoff · pooling · standing water · washed out
Defeated by sheer volume
- swampedOverwhelmed beyond capacity
- inundatedOverwhelmed by quantity
- delugedOverwhelmed by abundance
- floodedCovered with water
bombarded · besieged · avalanche · onslaught · barrage · torrent · cascade · stream
Thoroughly wet throughout
- soakedThoroughly wet throughout
- saturatedThoroughly soaked through
- soddenSaturated with liquid
- waterloggedSaturated with liquid
dripping · wet through · soaking wet · wringing wet · soppy · squelching · plastered · bedraggled
thunderstorm
Violent weather with lightning
- tempestViolent windstorm or turmoil
- squallBrief, violent windstorm
- monsoonSeasonal tropical wind pattern
rainstorm · nor'easter · tropical storm · cyclone · weather front · storm system · thunder · lightning · dark clouds · storm clouds
cloudburst
Sudden heavy localized rainfall
- delugeSevere overflow of water
- torrentialFlowing in violent streams
- gullywasherExtremely heavy brief rainstorm
soaker · cats and dogs · sheeting · pelting · lashing · waterspout · cascade · outpouring · pouring · teeming
flooded
Covered with water
- inundatedOverwhelmed by quantity
- swampedOverwhelmed beyond capacity
- overflowingExceeding capacity, spilling out
flash flood · rising water · submerged · storm drains · gutters · runoff · pooling · standing water · washed out · road closures
overwhelmed
Defeated by sheer volume
flooded · bombarded · besieged · avalanche · onslaught · barrage · torrent · cascade · stream · wave
drenched
Thoroughly wet throughout
waterlogged · dripping · wet through · soaking wet · wringing wet · soppy · squelching · plastered · bedraggled · soggy
raining bucketsdrizzling
Light, gentle precipitation
sprinkling · misting · light rain · spitting · scattered showers
raining bucketsbone dry
Totally devoid of moisture
dry as a bone · clear skies · sunny · parched · drought
rain, raining, rained, rains, rainy, rainiest, rainfall, raindrop, rainwater