Heat also changes liquid water to water vapor (evaporation). As it cools, water vapor becomes liquid again (condensation). As it cools even more, liquid water becomes ice (freezing). Water molecules ...

When the moisture-laden air moves over mountain ranges such as the Sierra Nevada along the California-Nevada line, the water vapor rises and cools, becoming heavy precipitation that falls as rain ...

This process is called evaporation. When the water evaporates, it leaves everything else in it behind. When the water vapor cools, it becomes liquid water again. This process is condensation. There’s ...

This rises into the air. Cloud formation: The water vapor rises into the sky, where it’s colder. There, the vapor cools and turns back into small water droplets. These droplets gather and form clouds.