In
meteorology,
precipitation is any product of the condensation of
atmospheric water vapour that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation include
drizzle,
rain,
sleet,
snow,
graupel and
hail. Precipitation occurs when a portion of the atmosphere becomes saturated with water vapour, so that the water condenses and "precipitates". Thus,
fog and
mist are not precipitation but suspensions, because the water vapour does not condense sufficiently to precipitate. Two processes, possibly acting together, can lead to air becoming saturated: cooling the air or adding water vapour to the air. Precipitation forms as smaller droplets coalesce via collision with other rain drops or ice crystals within a
cloud. Short, intense periods of rain in scattered locations are called "showers."