9 forms of precipitation

Precipitation is any type of water that forms in Earth's atmosphere and then drops onto the surface of Earth.

Water vapor, droplets of water suspended in the air, builds up in Earth's atmosphere.

Water vapor in the atmosphere is visible as clouds and fog. Water vapor collects with other materials, such as dust, in clouds.

Precipitation condenses, or forms, around these tiny pieces of material, called cloud condensation nuclei (CCN).

Clouds eventually get too full of water vapor, and the precipitation turns into a liquid (rain) or a solid (snow).

Precipitation is part of the water cycle.

Precipitation falls to the ground as snow and rain.

Precipitation process

It eventually evaporates and rises back into the atmosphere as a gas. In clouds, it turns back into liquid or solid water, and it falls to Earth again. People rely on precipitation for freshwater to drink, bathe, and irrigatecrops for food.

The most common types of precipitation are rain, hail, and snow.

Rain
Rain is precipitation that falls to the surface of Earth as water droplets.

Raindrops form around

how is rain formed in steps

how is rainfall formed in the equatorial areas