Pitter-patter! Rain is falling. But how did the water get up into the sky?
Up, up and away
The Sun warms the water in seas, rivers and ponds. Some of the water turns into a gas. This gas is called water vapour. We cannot see it. It floats high up into the sky. This is called evaporation.
Making clouds
High up in the sky, the air is cool. The water vapour cools down too. It turns back into tiny drops of water. Lots and lots of tiny drops together make a cloud! Some clouds look like cotton balls. Others look like grey blankets.
Down comes the rain
The tiny drops bump into each other. They join and grow bigger. Soon they are too heavy to float. Down they fall as rain!
When it is very cold, clouds can drop snow or hail instead. Snow falls on high mountains in India, like the Himalayas.
The rain flows into rivers and the sea. Then the trip starts all over again. This never-ending trip is called the water cycle.
Raindrops are not tear-shaped
We often draw raindrops like tears. But real raindrops are not like that! Small drops are round, like tiny balls. Big drops get squashed as they fall. They look more like a burger bun!
In India, the monsoon brings us lots of rain. Farmers wait for it every year.
Wonder about: The water in your glass may once have been in a cloud. Where else might it have travelled?