Key Points from This Chapter

KEY POINTS FROM THIS CHAPTER

• Atmospheric stability is a complex term that tells you what will happen in the atmosphere depending on the humidity level and warmth of any given air parcel.

• Precipitation starts in clouds with various types of nuclei that are hygroscopic, attract water molecules, and allow them to grow to various mechanisms.

• The cloud-based water or ice particles are too light to overcome the friction of air, so they do not fall to earth.

• When a water particle or ice particle reaches a certain size, it will overcome the friction of the earth and will fall to the ground because of gravity.

• Precipitation varies greatly from moist rain to various types of ice particles, including supercooled water particles that fall to the earth as freezing rain.

• Recording precipitation is not easy; however, there are several different types of rain gauges and rain sensing devices that can say a lot about how much rain or other precipitation has occurred as well as other factors, such as the speed of rainfall.