Step-by-step tutorial
Step 1
How does rain happen? It comes from vapor, we know. Vapor rises into the atmosphere; cools in the cooler, higher air; and forms clouds. Colder air can't hold as much water as warm air does, so when the air cools too much to hang on to the vapor, the water falls as rain or snow.
Step 2
I boiled a pot of water, and turned it off. We got out another pan, and put several pieces of ice in it, and just a splash of water.
Step 3
Maddie grabbed the pot of ice, and held it above the steaming vapor. She was so surprised that the top pot was staying cool, and not getting hot from the vapor! But would we create a dewpoint? Dewpoint means the point when water vapor condenses into liquid, forming raindrops.
Step 4
The cold of the pan reacts quickly with the warm vapor below, and water droplets are formed...
Final result!
And hurray! We've made rain!
