There are six stages of water cycle. 

They are – 

a) Evaporation : The process by which water changes from liquid to gas by using sun’s energy is called evaporation. Land, lakes, rivers and oceans send up a steady of water vapour and plants lose water to the air through transpiration. 

b) Transportation : The movement of water through the atmosphere specifically from over the ocean to land in the form of clouds is transportation. Clouds are propelled from one place to another by either the jet stream, surfaces based circulations like land and sea breezes or other mechanisms. 

c) Condensation : The transported water vapour eventually condenses forming tiny droplets and clouds. 

d) Precipitation :

• The primary mechanism for transporting water from the atmosphere to the surface of the earth is precipitation. 
• When the clouds meet cool air over land precipitation is triggered in the form of rain, sleet or snow and thus water reaches the ground. 

e) Run off:

• Most of the water which returns to land flows down hills as run off. 
• Some of it penetrates into the land and charges ground water while the rest, as river flow, returns to the oceans where it evaporates.

f) Groundwater : Under special circumstances, groundwater can even flow upward in artesian wells.