Types Of Precipitation

Precipitation is when water vapour that is condensed into clouds falls onto the surface. As precipitation falls down the layers of the atmosphere, there could be different temperatures as it falls. Therefore, create different types of precipitation.

Vapour that does not reach the surface is called virga. 

Rain

When precipitation falls through a majority deep warm layer, it will stay as rain.

Freezing Rain

Freezing rain occurs when there is a small cold layer below the majority warm layer. In the warm layer, it is rain. When it reaches the lower cold layer, it will slightly freeze due to the shallow layer to create freezing rain. 

Ice Pellets

Ice Pellets occur when a shallow warm layer is between two large cold layers. Snow is partially melted in the warm layer but refreezes to an ice pellet when entering the bottom cold layer

Snow

When there is a deep layer, precipitation will be snow throughout.

Hail

In hail, super-cooled water droplets in an cumulus cloud comes into contact with condensation nuclei commonly seen in thunderstorms. Those hail grow more and more as they continue to collide with other droplets. As these hail stones become too heavy for the lifting action of a thunderstorm, they will fall as precipitation.