[Grammar] had rained/ had been raining

[Iryn_]

Hello, dear forum users!

1. It had rained, so there were puddles everywhere.
2. It had been raining, so there were puddles everywhere.

What is the difference in the meaning of these sentences?
And since both perfect simple and continuous talk about the result of an action, can I use both of them in this case?

 

[Rover_KE]

In this case, I see little or no difference between the two versions.

There might be a wider context in which one may be preferable.

 

[Iryn_]

And does the usage of Simple mean that the rain was definitely over at the moment of speaking, and Continuous - that the rain might have or might have not been over at the moment of speaking?
(p.s. please, also tell me if I used the tenses correctly in this post)

 

[bhaisahab]

In both cases the rain has stopped.

 

[kilroy65]

2. It had been raining, so there were puddles everywhere.

I have always thought that the use of the present/ past perfect continuous has something to do with duration (the focus is on the duration of the activity):

"When I arrived, she had been waiting for me for an hour."
"He has been painting his house for two weeks."

On second thoughts, however, this might not be the case, considering the OP's example as well as the following one:

"You smell like alcohol. Have you been drinking?" - It's more like showing "cause and effect".

 

[Raymott]

"You smell like alcohol. Have you been drinking?" - It's more like showing "cause and effect".

This is relevant. You would not say, "You smell like alcohol. Have you drunk?" It's not a matter of cause and effect, because that applies whatever you use. It is, as you say, duration.
I would say, "It had been raining,... ", "Have you been drinking". It's more a matter of usage than grammar or meaning.