Precipitation — Science definition
Water falling back to Earth's surface as rain, snow, sleet, or hail once droplets or ice crystals grow heavy enough.
Where it is taught
- The Water Cycle — Atmosphere & Weather, Earth & Space Science, Grade 9
In use
Inside a cloud, droplets keep colliding and merging until some grow too heavy for the air to hold up — and gravity takes over, pulling them back to Earth as precipitation: rain, snow, sleet, or hail, depending on the temperatures they fall through.
The Water Cycle