With Activity 2, show condensation of water by heating a pan of water over a hot plate and holding a mirror or jar lid over the steam until the vapor condenses. Precipitation Eventually the collection of water droplets that form a cloud gather and get larger and heavier. When they get too large and too heavy to be held up in the air, they fall to the ground as a form of precipitation. Precipitation is water in any form falling from the clouds. It includes rain, drizzle, hail, sleet, and snow.
Warmer air causes droplets to fall as rain.
As the air turns colder, the water freezes and precipitation turns to sleet or snow. Hail is freezing rain that is bounced up and down by wind currents adding layers of ice to form hailstones. The inside of hailstones is similar to the rings of a cut tree trunk. With Activity 3, show a demonstration for precipitation. Cover it tightly with the lid and let it stand 2 minutes.