Precipitation is one of the very major elements of weather. When it comes to precipitation, rain must be the first thing that a lot of us think of. But do you know that rain is just one of the common precipitation types? Along with the rain, there are several other forms that precipitation can take, and of course, each one of these forms under different weather conditions. Right below here, we are going to introduce to you basic things about different types of precipitation. So, keep reading if you are interested in this topic.
Most common types of precipitation
Precipitation is whatever type of water which forms in the atmosphere of the Earth then falling onto its ground as a result of gravity. In fact, precipitation can take several different forms such as hail, snow, rain, fog, and more. Let’s learn about each one of them right now!
Rain
Needless to say, rain is one of the most popular forms of precipitation. Rain consists of water droplets falling down to the Earth’s ground once they are large enough and become too heavy to remain suspended in the clouds.
Rain, of course, can occur in all seasons, depending on the temperature in the cloud, the temperature in the atmosphere, and the temperature at the ground level as well.
Interestingly, meteorologists, in fact, use a variety of terms to describe rain droplets? For instance, sprinkles are used to describe rain droplets that fall in the form of fine drops and usually for short periods, whereas drizzle is the word used to talk about light steady rain.
And about freezing rain, it appears when water droplets go through a cold-air layer before hitting the ground then freeze upon contact.
Rain can occur in all seasons, depending on the temperature in the cloud, the temperature in the atmosphere, and the temperature at the ground level
Snow
Like rain, snow is also a very common form of precipitation. That means it’s gonna be a big mistake if we don’t mention snow here when talking about different types of precipitation and how they form
But unlike rain, snow falls down in the form of ice crystals, not in the form of water droplets. Snow forms when the temperature in the clouds is less than -32°F (or 0°C – the freezing point.) Water vapor freezes into the ice crystals in the clouds and when they become too heavy to remain suspended, the ice crystals fall to the Earth’s surface in the form of flakes.
If temperatures on the surface are higher than 0°C or above the freezing point, snow will occur but melt so quickly when hitting the ground.
Different types of precipitation and how they form: Sleet, snow, and freezing rain
Hail and Sleet
Two other types of precipitation are hail and sleet. Though they look quite similar, they are totally different in terms of how they form and when they occur. While sleet is more likely to happen during winter-like weather, hail is generally associated with summer weather conditions, particularly thunderstorms. Besides, sleet is partly frozen rain, whereas hail is basically ice balls.
Other different types of precipitation and how they form
Along with snow, rain, and sleet and hail, precipitation can be in the forms of graupel, fog drip, and more.
Sometimes, different forms of precipitation fall simultaneously. Or in other words, they fall at the same time. For example, it’s not unusual for rain and sleet to fall at the same time during harsh winter storms.
On the other hand, there are also times when precipitation doesn’t fall at all. Have you heard or known about Virga? It is also a kind of precipitation that begins to fall from a cloud yet actually evaporates before reaching the ground
Conclusion
These are some basic things about different types of precipitation and how they form we want to share with you via this article. Now we all know that precipitation can take various forms, right? And each one of them forms in different weather conditions …
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