There are four main types of precipitation: rain, snow, sleet, and hail. Snow forms directly from water vapor into a solid when the air is very cold, while sleet consists of raindrops that freeze upon passing through a layer of freezing air near the ground. Hail forms in thunderstorm clouds as water freezes in layers around an ice nucleus and grows larger as it is tossed up and down by rising and falling air currents, with the potential to cause damage greater than softballs during hailstorms with strong winds.