precipitation

Everyday

1. Water that falls from clouds to the ground in any form: rain, snow, sleet or hail. tree →
2. The amount of rain or snow that falls in a place over a time. tree →
3. (chemistry) When a solid forms in a liquid and separates out. tree →

In the lessons

In science and geography, precipitation is one of the four main stages of the water cycle: evaporation, condensation (clouds form), precipitation (water falls), collection (rivers, lakes, seas). Weather forecasts give the chance of precipitation as a percentage. In maths and science, rainfall is measured in millimetres with a rain gauge and shown in bar charts. Phrases: chance of precipitation, annual precipitation, the water cycle.

Examples

• Rain, snow, sleet and hail are all kinds of precipitation. tree →
• Precipitation is part of the water cycle. tree →
• The forecast says there is a 70% chance of precipitation. tree →
• Deserts get very little precipitation. tree →
• We measured precipitation with a rain gauge on the school field. tree →
• Clouds make precipitation when the water droplets get too heavy. tree →
• The bar chart shows how much precipitation fell each month. tree →

Note

It is a science word; in everyday talk people say «rain» or «snow». Uncountable: «a lot of precipitation», not «precipitations». Maths: «70% chance of precipitation» means it is more likely to rain than not, but not certain.