By Sam Belanger

Precipitation is water in solid or liquid form, that falls from the air to the Earth’s surface There are four main types: Snow, Rain, Sleet, and Hail Precipitation reaches the Earth’s surface, when the water vapor droplets in clouds become so heavy they actually fall to the Earth’s surface

The most common form of precipitation Consists of liquid water that falls from the clouds to the Earth’s surface Before a drop of rain falls, it must increase in size about 100 times its normal diameter The droplet actually starts out smaller than a period you would put at the end of a sentence

Snow is the most common form of solid precipitation Forms when temperatures are so cold that water vapor changes directly to a solid Can fall as individual ice crystals, or combine to form snowflakes The size of a snowflake depends on how many ice crystals join together

Also known as freezing rain Forms when rain falls through a layer of freezing air The rain freezes, which produces falling ice Sometimes does not freeze until contact with the ground, and changes into a layer of ice called glaze

Solid precipitation that falls as balls or lumps of ice Usually forms in cumulonimbus clouds, updrafts then carry raindrops to high altitudes in the cloud where they freeze Another updraft can send the hail up to the cloud, forming another layer of ice on the droplet If an updraft is strong enough, the droplet can continue to receive many layers of ice If it gets heavy enough, it will fall to earth and can become very dangerous Largest recorded-17.5 inches long, 1.67 lbs

If you are curious about the amount of rainfall you’ve received, you can use an instrument called a rain gauge to measure the amount of rainfall A rain gauge consists of a funnel and cylinder, and measures the exact amount of rainfall Snow is simply measured using a yardstick, and measured by depth and water content

Precipitation has a great impact on Earth It replenishes water that the Earth needs Without it, the whole world would simply be an enormous desert Precipitation also helps farmers grow their crops, and provides a fresh water supply for us to drink

Precipitation Fun Facts Nevada is the driest state with an average of 9.5 inches of precipitation each year. Hawaii is the wettest state with an annual average of 63.7 inches Mt. Baker, Washington received 1,140 inches of snowfall in the season Buffalo, New York received 39 inches of snowfall in a 24 hour period, costing 5 million dollars for snow removal

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