Raine clouds are made up of tiny droplets of water or ice crystals that are suspended in the atmosphere. When these droplets or crystals become large enough, they fall as precipitation. The type of precipitation that falls depends on the temperature of the air and the size of the droplets or crystals.

* Rain is made up of liquid water droplets that are larger than 0.5 millimeters in diameter. Rain is the most common type of precipitation.

* Snow is made up of ice crystals that are larger than 0.5 millimeters in diameter. Snow forms when water vapor in the atmosphere freezes into ice crystals.

* Sleet is made up of a mixture of rain and snow. Sleet forms when raindrops freeze before they reach the ground.

* Hail is made up of round or irregularly shaped balls of ice that are larger than 5 millimeters in diameter. Hail forms when raindrops are carried upward by strong updrafts of air and then freeze.