Precipitation in January (polygon), 1996 is a polygon theme representing levels of precipitation in January worldwide. Atmospheric precipitation is water that falls from clouds to the earth's surface including objects on the earth. Precipitation takes many forms, including liquid forms such as droplets, rain, and drizzle, and solid forms such as snow, pellets, and hail. Atmospheric precipitation also includes water that precipitates directly or condenses on the earth's surface or earthbound objects as a result of vapor condensation. These forms of precipitation include dew, hoarfrost, soft rime, and glaze.