What is the process by which liquid water falls as rain, snow, sleet or hail?

What is the process by which liquid water falls as rain, snow, sleet or hail?

• A. Evaporation
• B. Condensation
• C. Precipitation
• D. Sublimation

Answer: (C)

Precipitation is the stage of the water cycle where water in clouds falls to the surface as rain, snow, sleet, or hail. It happens when cloud droplets grow too large to be kept aloft by air currents, so gravity pulls them down. The form that reaches the ground depends on the atmospheric conditions: warm conditions lead to rain (liquid water), cold conditions can produce snow (ice crystals), and combinations of cold and warm layers can yield sleet or hail when droplets freeze or are lifted and refrozen by updrafts. In short, precipitation is the process by which water returns from the atmosphere to Earth in these different forms.

Precipitation is the stage of the water cycle where water in clouds falls to the surface as rain, snow, sleet, or hail. It happens when cloud droplets grow too large to be kept aloft by air currents, so gravity pulls them down. The form that reaches the ground depends on the atmospheric conditions: warm conditions lead to rain (liquid water), cold conditions can produce snow (ice crystals), and combinations of cold and warm layers can yield sleet or hail when droplets freeze or are lifted and refrozen by updrafts. In short, precipitation is the process by which water returns from the atmosphere to Earth in these different forms.