This textbook is written primarily for upper-level undergraduate meteorology students who require an introduction to the physics and observed properties of clouds and precipitation, building upon their knowledge of atmospheric thermodynamics that they have already typically gained from a meteorology curriculum. Graduate students new to the field of atmospheric science may also find this textbook useful as an introductory treatment of the topic; more advanced treatments of various concepts are recommended at the end of each chapter to allow these students to pursue additional independent study.

This textbook introduces the student to commonly-used terminology in the field, explains theoretical concepts both qualitatively and quantitatively, and provides evidence to support those concepts from observations collected within both field campaigns and laboratory studies, and from the results of numerical simulations.