Precipitation

Precipitation is a term used by meteorologist?s to describe all the type of water than can fall from the sky as weather. This includes snow, rain?, sleet, and hail?. Precipitation is a major part of the [water cycle]?, and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the planet. Precipitation is generated in clouds?, which reach a point of saturation; at this point larger and larger droplets (or pieces of ice) form, which then fall to the earth under gravity. It is possible to 'seed' clouds to induce precipitation by releasing a fine dust or appropriate chemical into a cloud (commonly [silver nitrate]?), encouraging the droplets to form, and increasing the probability of precipitation.

This term is also used in chemistry to describe the process whereby a solid condenses from a solution. This occurs because the solution is saturated with the solid, whereupon the solid forms, and usually sinks to the bottom of the solution.