Precipitation

Precipitation is something that most people regularly experience in their day-to-day lives. While most view it as an annoyance or hinderance, life would not be possible without it. Precipitation is a key step in the water cycle and is a direct result of water evaporation. Precipitation can come in different forms, depending on different weather and atmospheric conditions. In a climate that is above the freezing point of water, rain will be the form of precipitation; however, in cold environments such as New England during the winter, snow is very common. As the weight of the water in the clouds becomes too much, water starts to fall to Earth's surface, and with the temperatures at freezing or below, the water becomes ice crystals and falls as snow. If conditions are particularly windy near the clouds, the ice that falls can be blown back up and collect more ice and keep repeating this until it is too heavy to be blown back up, this is hail. Precipitation can be dangerous, but we should never take it for granted.