Short answers, pulled from the story.
Approximately 57% of all precipitation falls over oceans while only 43% reaches land surfaces. These numbers define the scale of the hydrological cycle that sustains life on our planet.
In 1900, the first global precipitation records began to take shape as scientists started measuring rainfall across continents. This early data collection effort revealed that water falling from clouds is not just a weather event but the primary mechanism for depositing fresh water on Earth.
Mount Wai'ale'ale receives second-highest average annual rainfall globally between October and March due to trade winds. Air rises over mountains like this location and expands and cools rapidly enough to form heavy rain creating windward sides with extreme rainfall.
Fog and mist do not count as precipitation because their water vapor does not condense sufficiently to fall under gravity's pull. Instead they remain suspended in the air as colloids until conditions change enough to trigger actual descent.
Raindrops range from 0.1 millimeters to 6 millimeters in diameter before breaking apart due to air resistance. Hailstones can grow larger than golf balls weighing more than 200 grams inside storm clouds while snowflakes form when supercooled droplets freeze onto ice crystals.