How does condensation lead to cloud formation and precipitation?

In hydrologic sciences, the formation of clouds and precipitation is a phase-change process driven by the cooling of moist air.12

Cloud Formation

Clouds form when moist air rises and cools, typically due to expansion at lower pressures. As the air temperature drops to the dew point, the air becomes saturated with water vapor. This vapor then condenses onto microscopic atmospheric particles known as condensation nuclei—such as dust, salt, or other aerosols—to form tiny cloud droplets.134

Precipitation

Precipitation occurs when these small droplets or ice crystals grow large enough to overcome upward air currents and fall to the ground. This growth happens through two primary mechanisms:56

• Collision and Coalescence: In warmer clouds, larger droplets collide and fuse with smaller ones, growing until they are heavy enough to fall as rain.56
• Ice Crystal Process (Bergeron-Findeisen mechanism): In "cold clouds," ice crystals grow rapidly at the expense of surrounding supercooled water droplets. These crystals may aggregate into snowflakes or undergo riming to form graupel or hail, often melting into rain before reaching the surface.76