Precipitation

atmosphere

to the surface
- with a diameter > 0.5 mm
- < 0.5 mm: drizzle
- max. size: about 5 - 7 mm
(too large to remain suspended)
- beyond this size, inter-molecular cohesive
forces become to weak to be held in the
mass of water together as a single drop

when falling liquid water droplets reaches a surface

with a temperature below freezing point
- so, the rain droplets quickly turn into ice
- another * condition: where the rain develops, the
temperature of rain develops must be above
freezing

e.g. within a temperature
inversion

- transparent / translucent spheres of frozen water

- with a diameter > 5 mm
- develop first as raindrops in relatively warm
atmosphere (Temp: > freezing),
- then raindrops descend into a colder layer of the
atmosphere (Temp:<0oC)
- causing the freezing into ice pellets while reaching
the ground surface
- like freezing rain, an air temperature inversion is
required

the mid- and high- latitudes
- it

develops when water vapour deposits itself directly
to a six-sided (hexagon) deposition nuclei as a
solid crystal, at temperature below freezing
(what is this process called?)
- why is this unique form?
- snow is usually associated
frontal uplifting with mid-
latitude cyclones

of precipitation with a diameter > 5 mm

- hailstones: concentric shells of ice with alternating
white cloudy appearance & those that are
clear
- cloudy white: contain partially melted
snowflakes that freeze on to the
to the surface of the growing
hailstone
- clear shell: develops when liquid water
freezes onto the hailstone

Strong uprising currents in thunderstorm clouds

provide the mechanism for forming hail
- the updrafts move hailstone embryos (e.g. large
frozen raindrops) upward through the storm cloud
- where they encounter layers of ice crystals, snow &
supercooled rain
- each encounter causes the hailstone to grow larger
- hailstones can grow very large in size with
repeated updrafts
- until being too heavy to by supported by updrafts, it
begins falling under gravity
- on descending, it can lose great mass due to melting

typical hailstone growth path through a thunderstorm cloud.
Hailstones add most

of their mass during updrafts.

non-precipitating in 99% of cases.

/

cyclonic (frontal) uplifting)
2. condensation and cloud formation
3. an accumulation of moisture
4. the growth of cloud droplets
- the most critical stage!!

Water droplets and ice crystals of clouds need to be transformed into heavier particles if they are to fall out of clouds as precipitation. Why?

to be transformed into heavier particles if they are to

fall out of clouds as precipitation. Why?

As we know, water droplets & ice crystals can only fall to the Earth’s surface if they grow to a sufficiently large size that can overcome updrafts

about 0.2 mm
light rain

about 0.5 mm
small rain about 1.0 mm
rain about 5.0 mm
rainstorm up to about 7.0 mm

How about the condensed size generated from
condensation? (Make a guess?)

about 0.2 mm
light rain

about 0.5 mm
small rain about 1.0 mm
rain about 5.0 mm
rainstorm up to about 7.0 mm

From condensation alone:
Between 50 – 200 µm (size of drizzle only)
(where 1 mm = 1000 µm)

continue to grow by
diffusion beyond 20 micrometers

in
diameter, however, once a droplet
attains this size, growth is slow and
inefficient.
Droplets this large begin to collide
and coalesce with other droplets as
they fall through the cloud, meaning
they will bump into and bond to one
another and form larger drops.

cloud can transport
a droplet upward repeatedly

allowing it many opportunities to
fall back down through the cloud
and collide and coalesce with other
droplets.
Tiny aerosol nuclei grow into large
water droplets more than 10,000
times their initial size.

the cold rain or ice crystal process
As the formation of

precipitation in the
cold clouds of the mid and upper
latitudes by ice crystal growth.
The equilibrium vapor pressure over
water is greater than the saturation
vapor pressure over ice, at the same
temperature.

mixed phase cloud, the liquid water will be out of

vapor pressure equilibrium and will evaporate to reach equilibrium.
The water droplets will move toward
the lower pressure over the ice and
diffuse onto the ice crystals.
The vapour will be condensed and
freeze onto the ice crystal, causing it
to grow larger.

these theories contradictory?
Why or why not?