Precipitation

This passage describes how precipitation is formed.

Lexile Level: 910L

Categories: Science & Technology

While watching television, you may have heard weather forecasters refer to something called precipitation. Precipitation is any form of water that falls from the sky when cloud particles become too heavy to remain in the air. Snow, hail, rain, ice, sleet, and freezing rain are all forms of precipitation. Precipitation is important because it is the main source of fresh water for the earth. Precipitation usually occurs because the air begins to rise. When air rises, it becomes colder. Cold air cannot hold as much moisture as warm air, which causes precipitation to fall to the ground. Air rises for many reasons including more cold air, the jet stream, and even mountains! Meteorology is the study of weather. The weather forecasters on television who predict precipitation have studied meteorology. They are called meteorologists. Although meteorologists are well-educated, it is impossible to correctly predict the weather all the time. The more practice meteorologists have, the better they become at forecasting the weather.