Rainy Season and the Water Cycle in Florida
How Florida rain moves through the water cycle
Rainy Season and the Water Cycle in Florida
How Florida rain moves through the water cycle
Science - Grade 2-3
- 1
Florida's rainy season often happens during the warm months. Why can warm weather help make more rain?
Think about what happens to a puddle on a hot sunny day.
Warm weather can help make more rain because the Sun heats water in oceans, lakes, and puddles. Some of the water changes into water vapor and rises into the air. - 2
Put these water cycle steps in order: precipitation, evaporation, condensation, collection.
The correct order is evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection. Water rises as vapor, forms clouds, falls as rain, and gathers in places like lakes, rivers, and oceans. - 3
What is evaporation?
Water vapor is a gas that we usually cannot see.
Evaporation is when liquid water changes into water vapor and goes into the air. Heat from the Sun helps evaporation happen. - 4
What is condensation in the water cycle?
Condensation is when water vapor cools and changes back into tiny drops of liquid water. These tiny drops can come together to form clouds. - 5
During a Florida afternoon thunderstorm, rain falls from clouds to the ground. Which part of the water cycle is this?
In Florida, this step is usually rain.
This part of the water cycle is precipitation. Precipitation is water that falls from clouds as rain, snow, sleet, or hail. - 6
Name two places where rainwater can collect after it falls in Florida.
Rainwater can collect in places such as lakes, rivers, ponds, wetlands, puddles, or the ocean. In Florida, some rainwater also soaks into the ground. - 7
Florida is surrounded by warm ocean water. How can the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico add water to the air?
Florida has water on three sides.
The Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico can add water to the air when the Sun heats their water and evaporation happens. Water vapor from the oceans can help form clouds. - 8
A student says, "Clouds are made of smoke." Is the student correct? Explain your answer.
Clouds are part of the water cycle.
The student is not correct. Clouds are made of tiny water droplets or ice crystals, not smoke. - 9
Draw or describe what happens to rainwater after it falls on a schoolyard with grass, sidewalks, and a storm drain.
Some rainwater can soak into the grass, some can run over the sidewalk, and some can flow into a storm drain. This shows that water can move in different ways after it falls. - 10
Why do plants in Florida often grow quickly during the rainy season?
Plants need water to stay alive and make food.
Plants often grow quickly during the rainy season because they get more water from frequent rain. They also use sunlight, air, and nutrients from soil to grow. - 11
Circle the best safety choice during a thunderstorm: stand under a tall tree, swim in a pool, or go inside a building.
The best safety choice is to go inside a building. Thunderstorms can have lightning, so it is safer to stay away from trees, water, and open areas. - 12
Look at a cloud that is tall, dark, and gray. What kind of weather might be coming soon in Florida's rainy season?
Dark clouds often mean the sky is holding a lot of water droplets.
Rain or a thunderstorm might be coming soon. Tall, dark clouds can hold lots of water droplets and may bring heavy rain. - 13
Write one sentence that uses all three words: Sun, clouds, rain.
One correct sentence is: The Sun heats water, clouds form from water vapor, and rain falls back to Earth. Student answers may vary if they correctly connect the Sun, clouds, and rain.