Precipitation

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Precipitation is water that falls from clouds to the ground in solid or liquid state. The major forms include snow, hailstones, and rainfall. It occurs when water droplets or ice crystals in clouds be…

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Snow forms when the temperature in the atmosphere falls below the freezing point (0°C). Water vapour directly turns into snowflakes through sublimation - the process where gas transforms directly into…

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Snow is friable and opaque, formed directly from water vapour. Ice is massive, transparent, and homogeneous. Ice forms when layers of snow accumulate and the lower layers get compressed due to pressur…

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Hailstones form when there is intense heat on Earth's surface causing strong upward air flow. Water droplets are carried to high altitudes where they freeze. Due to repeated upward and downward moveme…

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Hails occur in summers in India, Africa, and parts of South East Asia. They do not occur in equatorial areas due to excessive heat in the atmosphere, and not in cold zones due to lack of upward air fl…

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Convectional rainfall occurs when the ground surface gets heated by the sun, causing air to rise, cool, and condense. It happens in equatorial areas almost daily in afternoons, accompanied by lightnin…

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Orographic rainfall occurs when moisture-laden winds are obstructed by mountains. As winds move up the mountain slope, they cool, condense, and cause rainfall. The windward side gets more rain while t…

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A rain shadow area is the leeward side of a mountain that receives less rainfall. After crossing the mountain, the air has less moisture and increased moisture-holding capacity, resulting in reduced p…