5th Grade Science Question of the Day
Test your knowledge with a hand-picked multiple-choice question.
Water is distributed on Earth through the never-ending water cycle. The heat from the Sun keeps the water cycling through the various stages. The Sun heats water into a vapor, which later cools and forms into the billions of droplets that make up clouds. The moisture in clouds falls back to Earth as rain, snow, hail, or sleet. The water that falls back to Earth can be absorbed into the ground or fill lakes, ponds, oceans, and other bodies of water. The topography of the land affects the amount of precipitation that the area receives. Each site has variations in elevation, and the Earth is shaped differently, which changes the amount and type of precipitation. The process of the water cycle continues with no beginning or end, and it does not have to follow the stages in a specific order or pattern.
What is the term for the stage of the water cycle when water returns to Earth as hail, snow, rain, or sleet?