Precipitation
Precipitation (pre-sip-uh-tay-shun) is any form of water that falls to the
Earth's surface. Different forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, hail, snow, sleet, and freezing rain.
Precipitation is
important because it helps maintain the atmospheric
balance. Without
precipitation, all of the land on the planet would be desert.
Precipitation helps farmers grow crops and provides a fresh water supply
for us to drink.
Precipitation can also be damaging. Too much rain and snow can cause severe
flooding and lots of traffic accidents. Hail can damage crops and cars.
Freezing rain and sleet can destroy trees and power lines.
The opposite of precipitation is evaporation.
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