what determines the form of precipitation that will fall at a certain time?

Question

:o]

Answer 1

It's a very complicated answer:
but mainly you're looking at how dry the air is, temperature inversions, boundary layers, speed at which precipitation rises in updrafts, dew points, termperature, then speed at which it falls back to the earth...

Answer 2

Droplet size is the main factor in creating different types of precipitation.This depends on conditions at the time of formation,particularly humidity,temperature and number of airborn nuclei such as dust particles.
When the nuclei are more,small droplets form and when they are less, bigger droplets form.
Shallow clouds with weak updrafts give only drizzle.Hail which is a solid precipitation in the form balls or pieces of ice fall from cumulonimbus cloud.
Temperature of air through which the precipitation falls also decide the types.Snow is a sold precipitation which occurs in a variety of minute ice crystals at temperatures well below zero degree celcius. but as large snow flakes near(not at) zero degree celcius.Sleet is a mixture of falling rain and snow which again depends upon the temperature through which they fall.

Answer 3

The simple answer would be the temperature it starts at in the clouds, the temperature it is on the surface, and how fast the precipitation falls. Usually in the clouds, it forms as ice crystals. Then as it falls down to the surface, the speed depends on how fast it melts into rain or hail or snow flakes.