RESERVOIR/LAKE ⇨ CLOUD

What’s the Story?

Wait, what is going on?! These water molecules are not bonding like before! Moving more… speeding up…. and now separating… kind of floating in the air! Water molecules are so small they can just float away (there are millions in a single raindrop!). When water receives energy from light, heat, and wind, water molecules speed up and separate from one another, in a process called “evaporation.” Because water molecules are so small, they become vapor or part of the air around them. This water vapor can make the air feel “heavier,” which is called humidity. Humidity occurs most often when air temperatures are warm or hot. As water vapor rises into the atmosphere and temperatures drop, an opposite process occurs, called “condensation:” molecules lose energy, slow down, and bond together, forming the water droplets that create clouds and thus precipitation (rain, snow, sleet & hail).

Click on your water drop above to travel to the Cloud next!!