What type of precipitation can be expected from stratus or stratocumulus clouds?

Stratus and stratocumulus clouds are typically associated with stable atmospheric conditions, resulting in relatively light and continuous forms of precipitation. The presence of these clouds often indicates low-level moisture and gentle lifting which are conducive to producing drizzle, freezing drizzle, or snow grains.

Drizzle occurs when small water droplets coalesce and fall gently to the ground, and freezing drizzle can occur when the temperature is sufficiently low for the droplet to freeze upon contact with surfaces. Snow grains, on the other hand, are small, white, opaque grains of ice that fall from clouds and are also indicative of low-intensity precipitation.

These types of precipitation align with the nature of stratus and stratocumulus clouds, which do not provide the vigorous vertical motion necessary for the development of heavier rain or thunderstorms, distinguishing them from more convective clouds like cumulonimbus.