precipitation

Table of Contents

Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics

Images & Videos

How do clouds float?

frozen precipitation

How do snowflakes form?

Learn the role of tiny impurities like salt, dirt, soot, or a grain of clay in the formation of raindrops

What is cloud seeding and can it be used to fight climate change?

orographic lift

North America: average annual precipitation

Distribution of peoples and annual rainfall in the Guinea Coast region. The northern boundary of the 500-mm isohyet (a line on a map connecting points experiencing the same rainfall amount) approximates the maximum advance of the West African summer monsoon.

precipitation, annual; Europe

Discover

Sailboat against a beautiful landscape

Which Waters Do You Pass Through When You “Sail the Seven Seas”?

Data analysis of the Super Bowl's "winningest" teams, game locations, MVP winners by position, teams with the most game losses. football, sports, infographic

From Sport to Spectacle: The History of the Super Bowl

King Cobra snake in Malaysia. (reptile)

9 of the World’s Deadliest Snakes

earthquake. Heavily damaged school in the town of Yingxiu after a major earthquake struck China's Sichuan Province on May 12, 2008.

The 6 Deadliest Earthquakes Since 1950

The Lost Colony of Roanoke, North Carolina, where 115 people mysteriously disappeared c. 1590. John White discovers the word Croatoan carved onto a tree upon his return to the deserted Roanoke Colony in 1590

The Lost Colony of Roanoke

In this aerial photo, structures are damaged and destroyed October 15, 2005 in Balakot, Pakistan. It is estimated that 90% of the city of Balakot was leveled by the earthquake. The death toll in the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck northern Pakistan on October 8, 2005 is believed to be 38,000 with at least 1,300 more dead in Indian Kashmir. SEE CONTENT NOTES.

6 of the World’s Deadliest Natural Disasters

Young boys working in a thread spinning mill in Macon, Georgia, 1909. Boys are so small they have to climb onto the spinning frame to reach and fix broken threads and put back empty bobbins. Child labor. Industrial revolution

The Rise of the Machines: Pros and Cons of the Industrial Revolution

precipitation: Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Photos and Videos

frozen precipitation

orographic lift

North America: average annual precipitation

Distribution of peoples and annual rainfall in the Guinea Coast region. The northern boundary of the 500-mm isohyet (a line on a map connecting points experiencing the same rainfall amount) approximates the maximum advance of the West African summer monsoon.

precipitation, annual; Europe

Global distribution of mean annual rainfall (in centimetres).

projected changes in mean precipitation

Graph depicting the influence of El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on rainfall produced by the Indian summer monsoon. During years when ENSO is active, monsoon-driven precipitation over India often declines.

Graph of monsoon rainfall in India, 1871–1981. Annual rainfall amounts are depicted as percentages departing from the 110-year average. The red line superimposed on the graph suggests a recurring trend over this time period.

How do clouds float?

How do snowflakes form?

Learn the role of tiny impurities like salt, dirt, soot, or a grain of clay in the formation of raindrops

What is cloud seeding and can it be used to fight climate change?

Learn about the water cycle and how oceans act as the Earth's water reservoirs

See All Videos and Images →

Topics

snow rain aerosol hail orographic precipitation sleet fog drip cloudburst blizzard firn fog cloud frost dew drought mist haze evapotranspiration hydrometeor weather forecasting

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

Vincent Joseph Schaefer

American chemist and meteorologist

Tor Harold Percival Bergeron

Scandinavian meteorologist

Quiz

water glass on white background. (drink; clear; clean water; liquid)

Water and its Varying Forms

Lightning over a farm field. Weather electricity thunderstorm light energy tree

Facts You Should Know: Weather Quiz

rain. Child in the rain, wearing a rain coat, under a yellow umbrella. April Showers weather climate rain storm water drops

April Showers to March’s Lions and Lambs

Iceland, Glacier lagoon (Jokulsarlon)

Winter Weather Words Quiz

Umbrella colored like a rainbow sticking out above a sea of black umbrellas while it rains. (storm, weather)

Weather Words Vocabulary Quiz

Thunderstorm cumulonimbus clouds above Montana. weather storm thunderstorm atmospheric disturbance cumulonimbus clouds thunder and lightning Homepage blog 2011, science and technology

Clouds and Cloud Types