The water cycle describes how water moves between the Earth's surface and atmosphere. It involves four main processes: 1) Evaporation of water from bodies of water into vapor in the air, 2) Condensation of the vapor into clouds, 3) Precipitation as rain or snow back to Earth, and 4) Accumulation of water in rivers, lakes, and oceans that begins the cycle again through further evaporation. The water on Earth has been continuously cycling through this process for billions of years.