Forms of Precipitation Precipitation Rain snow sleet and

Forms of Precipitation

Precipitation • Rain, snow, sleet and hail are all forms of precipitation. • Precipitation is the result of water’s ability to change between the three states of water. . . ice, water, and water vapor.

Rain • Drops of water condense on bits of dirt and dust in the air to form clouds. • When clouds become heavy with millions of raindrops it rains. • Rain - drops of fresh water that fall as precipitation from mostly stratus, nimbostratus, and cumulonimbus clouds.

Snow • When water condenses in very cold air it forms ice crystals that collect in clouds. • Snow is precipitation that falls from clouds in the form of ice crystals

Sleet • Sleet is formed when rain drops pass through air that is below freezing before reaching the ground. • The rain drops freeze into ice pellets.

Hail • Hail is a mixture of liquid and frozen precipitation from cumulonimbus clouds. • Hailstones are composed of layers of ice and can become quite large when strong gusts of upward-moving air keep them inside thundercloud.

Fog- Vocab Card • Fog is a cloud near the ground. • Fog is created when water vapor condenses near the ground. • Fog often occurs in the morning and can limit visibility.

Dew- Vocab Card • tiny drops of water that form on cool surfaces at night

Questions. . . • What is the temperature of the air for rain? • In what season do we usually see snow? • Can sleet be dangerous? How and why? • What else could you see with hail? • How does fog happen?