The most common types of precipitation are:
- rain
- snow
- hale
The rain comes in liquid form. In order for the rain to occur, the temperature in the upper parts of the troposphere should not be too low, thus the condensation of the water vapor can only go from gaseous to liquid form. The rain occurs in the lower latitudes, as well as in the mid-latitudes mostly from spring to autumn.
The snow occurs in the higher latitudes and in the mid-latitudes during winter. In order for the snow to form, the temperatures in the upper parts of the troposphere should be below the freezing point, so the water vapor crystallizes into small ice crystals.
The hale occurs in the warmer period in the mid-latitudes, and occasionally in the lower latitudes. The hale is formed when during the condensation of the water vapor into liquid form, the air mass encounters much lower temperatures below the freezing point. This results in the formation of large crystals that fall on the surface in the form of frozen, circular-shaped pieces.
