Which of the following is classified as precipitation?

Precipitation refers to any form of water, liquid or solid, that falls from the atmosphere and reaches the ground. This includes various forms such as rain, snow, sleet, and hail. Each of these represents a different physical state or process through which water is released from clouds back to Earth.

Rain occurs when water vapor condenses into droplets that become heavy enough to fall. Snow forms when atmospheric temperatures are sufficiently low to cause the water vapor to crystallize directly into ice particles. Sleet is formed from small ice pellets, and hail consists of larger balls or irregular lumps of ice, which develop in strong thunderstorms.

By understanding these distinctions, it becomes clear why rain, snow, sleet, and hail collectively classify as precipitation and play a crucial role in the Earth's water cycle. In contrast, water vapor, clouds, and condensation are all processes or states of water in the atmosphere but do not represent the falling of water to the Earth's surface, which is key to defining precipitation.