PRECIPITATION HONORS EARTH SCIENCE Pages

PRECIPITATION Any moisture that falls from the sky Any moisture that falls from the sky

DEVELOPMENT OF PRECIPITATION Water Vapor(condenses) → cloud droplet → coalescence → too heavy→FALL → precipitation Water Vapor(condenses) → cloud droplet → coalescence → too heavy→FALL → precipitation Coalescence- drop collides with smaller drops and they combine Coalescence- drop collides with smaller drops and they combine

Title this diagram

Rain drop shapes X

Forms of precipitation Rain Rain –Liquid –.5-5 mm –Drizzle ≤.5 mm ≤.5 mm

FORMS OF PRECIPITAION SNOW SNOW –Solid Plates or columns Plates or columns Six sided flakes Six sided flakes 1”rain=10”snow 1”rain=10”snow(generally)

FORMS OF PRECIPITAION Sleet Sleet –Ice pellets –Melting layer wedged between 2 freezing layers ground Above 32 F melts sleet Below 32 F snow

sleet

Sleet- season?

Sleet pictures

FORMS OF PRECIPIATION GLAZE (freezing rain) GLAZE (freezing rain) –Rain freezes when it hits cold surfaces

FORMS OF PRECIPIATION HAIL HAIL Forms in cumulonimbus clouds Forms in cumulonimbus clouds Gets “stuck” in cloud Gets “stuck” in cloud Every trip up the cloud adds a layer of ice Every trip up the cloud adds a layer of ice Season? Season?

Hail pictures

RADAR Sends signal out (microwaves) and bounces off precipitation Sends signal out (microwaves) and bounces off precipitation

Radar towers

Radar maps

6:32 PM GMT on November 27, 2011

GMT (Greenwich mean time) - 5 hours for EST - 5 hours for EST Uses military time Uses military time Example- 2:00 GMT MI time? Example- 2:00 GMT MI time?

FOG Not precip Not precip “Ground clouds” “Ground clouds” –Need same conditions Usually forms from warm ground and colder air Usually forms from warm ground and colder air

Lake Effect Snow When cold air travels over warm water When cold air travels over warm water Snow falls on downwind shore Snow falls on downwind shore