Air temperatures change with changing heights, or altitudes, in the Earth's atmosphere. Gathering accurate data about the temperatures at different altitudes is important for predicting which of the following?
A.
when and where lightning is likely to strike

B.
if precipitation will take the form of snow, sleet, hail, or rain

C.
when and where a tsunami is likely to strike a coastline

D.
how much carbon dioxide is in the atmosphere at a particular location

B

Gathering accurate data about the temperatures at different altitudes is important for predicting if precipitation will take the form of snow, sleet, hail, or rain.

Explanation:

Usually, temperatures lower with altitude the reason clouds form when a warm humid air mass rises into the upper atmosphere. The moisture condenses into clouds in the upper atmosphere that precipitate as rain. However, when the upper atmosphere is even cooler, other types of precipitation like hail and snow will form. Hail forms when the cloud water droplet freezes to ice and coalesce while snow is more or less individual cloud water particles that are frozen.  Studying the temperatures of the upper troposphere can help determine what kind of precipitation to expect.