Water returns to Earth in the form of rain or snow during the precipitation stage of the water cycle.
The stage of the water cycle where water returns to Earth in the form of rain or snow is called "precipitation." This occurs when water vapor, which has evaporated from the Earth's surface and accumulated in the atmosphere, cools and condenses into droplets or ice crystals. These droplets or crystals then fall from the clouds and reach the Earth's surface as rain, snow, sleet, or hail.
