Clouds are large collections of water droplets that can be frozen, but only sometimes. They form due to condensation, when water evaporates into a gas and cools down above the Earth. Then, the water drops attach to pieces of dust or dirt that are above the Earth. As more droplets attach to one piece of debris, they form a water drop. Then, when the cloud gets heavy and full of water, it rains or snows! Clouds are helpful not just because they produce precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, or hail), but because they help trap the heat from the Sun on Earth! The clouds act as a blanket, trapping some of the heat from the Sun towards the ground. This helps warm the planet up and keeps places from freezing. Check out the visual below of how clouds trap that heat.
