Evaporation

The process of liquid water turning into water vapor.

Caused by wind or heat

Condensation

The process of water vapor turning into liquid water when it cools.

Precipitation

Any form of water that falls to the Earth from clouds.

Cumulus Cloud

White puffy clouds

Seen on a sunny day

You can sometimes see shapes in them

Individual clouds

Stratus Clouds

Look like a gray blanket in the sky

Hard to tell where one begins and another one ends

Bring long steady rains

Cover the whole sky

Nimbus Clouds

Tall puffy clouds

Very Dark

Bring sudden quick rain or snow

Can bring tornadoes

Troposphere

The layer of the Earth's atmosphere that is closest to the Earth

This is where all the weather happens

Stratosphere

This is the second layer of the atmosphere

The ozone layer is here

Very cold

Mesosphere

The third layer of the atmosphere

This is where meteors usually burn up

Thermosphere

• Therm means heat
• This layer can be very warm because there is no protection from the direct rays of the sun
• The space shuttle and space station orbit in this layer

Exosphere

The outermost layer of the atmosphere

This is usually where outer space begins