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Precipitation. Chapter 16 section 5 November 29, 2007 T-4 Hannah, Steven, Gabby, Robbie. Vocabulary. Precipitation: Is any form of water that falls from clouds and reaches Earth’s surface. Drought: Is a water shortage caused by long periods of low precipitation in a particular area.
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Precipitation • Chapter 16 section 5 • November 29, 2007 T-4 • Hannah, Steven, Gabby, Robbie
Vocabulary • Precipitation: Is any form of water that falls from clouds and reaches Earth’s surface. • Drought: Is a water shortage caused by long periods of low precipitation in a particular area. • Rain Gauge: Is an open-ended can or tube that collects rainfall.
Rain • Is drops of water that are at least 0.5 millimeters in diameter. • Is the most common form of precipitation • It is measured in a rain gauge.
Sleet • Is raindrops falling through a layer of air below 0 degrees Celsius. As they fall, the raindrops freeze into particles of ice. • Ice particles smaller than 5 millimeters in diameter is sleet.
Freezing Rain • Is raindrops that freeze when they touch a cold surface instead of freezing when they touch the ground.
Hail • Are round pellets of ice larger than 5 millimeters in diameter. • Hail is only formed in cumulonimbus clouds during thunderstorms. • During the thunderstorm strong updrafts carry the ice pellet up and down cold regions. • Each time it passes a cold region a layer of ice is formed around it until it is heavy enough to fall.
Snow • Is water vapor in clouds that is directly converted into ice crystals or snowflakes. • Snow is measured in a rain gauge. • Every snowflake has 6 sides and is unique.
Measuring Precipitation • Meteorologists measure precipitation with rain gauges. • A rain gauge is an open ended can or tube that collects precipitation. • To measure how much precipitation is in a can put a ruler in it. • For more precipitation add a funnel, that gives you ten times more of a certain kind of precipitation. When measuring it for accuracy divide by 10.
Controlling Precipitation • When droughts occur airplanes sprinkle dry ice (solid carbon dioxide.) and silver iodide into clouds. • Water vapor in the clouds condenses the particles of silver iodide forming rain or snow.
The drought in Georgia is a level 4 Atlanta Georgia is 15 inches below their normal precipitation . There is about a three-month supply of water left in Lake Lanier. Atlanta Georgia is down to a 90 day supply of water. The drought responds to all counties in the north, such as Muscogee, Spalding, and Lincoln counties. 5 Facts About Georgia’s Drought
What Must Happen Before Precipitation can Fall To The Ground Cloud droplets or ice crystals must grow heavy enough.