Science Matters: Precipitation (HB)

The atmosphere is a blanket of gases that surrounds Earth. One of the gases in the atmosphere is water vapor. It rises from oceans, lakes, and other bodies of water when the Sun warms them. Water vapor cools as it rises. Then, it condenses and forms tiny drops of water. When the drops become large enough, they fall as rain or snow. Water that falls to Earth in solid or liquid form is called precipitation.