it has started raining

[A_Bad_guy]

Could you please tell me the differences between the following?
It has started raining.
It is raining.
it started raining.

 

[Tdol]

Why don't you tell us what you think to get the ball rolling?

 

[A_Bad_guy]

Why don't you tell us what you think to get the ball rolling?

1. The first sentence means: Rain might have started 10 minutes ago and it is still raining.
2. The second means: It is just raining.
3. The third means: it is not raining. It was raining 1 hour ago.

I can't figure out the differences between them when three sentences are compared together.

1. It has started raining.
2. It is raining.
3. it started raining.

 

[GoesStation]

Sentence 1 means that rain began falling in the very recent past and it's still raining.

Sentence 2 means that rain is falling now.

Sentence 3 says only that rain began sometime in the past. It doesn't tell us whether it is or isn't raining now.