What is Precipitation?
Precipitation is any form of water that falls to the earth’s surface. This includes snow, rain, sleet, freezing rain, and hail. Precipitation is generated in clouds. When water vapor droplets in clouds become so large that updrafts within the clouds can no longer support them, the water will fall to the earth under the force of gravity.
Precipitation is any form of liquid or solid water particles that fall from the atmosphere and reach the surface of the Earth. For the Gulf Coast area, precipitation includes drizzle, rain, hail, and on rare occasions, snow and sleet. Different seasons and geographic locations see varying amounts of precipitation in amount and intensity. Precipitation is caused when a mass of warm, moist air hits a mass of cold air. Condensation causes the moisture to form droplets that become rain or crystals that become snow or ice. When these droplets or crystals become too heavy to be suspended in the atmosphere, they fall to Earth as precipitation.
Page Description: This weather science printable asks students to identify and complete statements about forms of precipitation. As a skill challenge, students will sequence and interpret a diagram of hailstone growth. Grade Levels: 6 – 12 The full page is available ONLY to subscribers. Sign up today for a free 7-day trial to get access to this page and all of the 20,000 items on TeacherVision.
