Question

How is rain formed?

Answer 1

Rain:

1. During the day, solar radiation heats the surface of various water bodies like ponds, lakes, rivers, seas, oceans, etc.
2. As a result, the water evaporates in the form of droplets. This water vapor rises with the convection currents.
3. At a particular height, the air cools and the water vapor contained in it condenses to form minute droplets of water.
4. These water drops accumulate to form a cloud.
5. Once the clouds become saturated with water droplets, they become heavy and burst to result in rainfall.
6. Depending on the geographical location, temperature, climatic history, and weather conditions, the precipitation might occur in various forms like rain, snow, sleet, and hail.

On the basis of temperature, precipitation is of the following types:

1. Hail: Hail is a frozen rain that falls as rain comprising solid masses of frozen ice and dust. The temperature range for hailstorms is below -40°F
2. Snow: It is the ice that crystallizes around dust particles. The temperature range for snowing is typically below 32°F.
3. Sleet: Rainfall that occurs as ice pellets is termed sleet. The temperature range for sleet is typically between 33.8 and 37.4°F.
4. Rain: When precipitation occurs in the form of liquid, it is termed rain. It can rain at a wide temperature range between 32°F and 80°F.