What type of rainfall occurs when moist air is forced to rise over a mountain range?

Rainfall that occurs when moist air is forced to rise over a mountain range is called orographic precipitation.

As air encounters a mountain slope, the terrain pushes it upward. Rising air expands and cools, reducing its capacity to hold water vapor. Condensation can then produce clouds and precipitation on the windward side of the range.

The descending air on the leeward side often becomes warmer and drier. This contrast can create a rain shadow, in which deserts or semiarid regions develop downwind of mountains. The Himalayas and the Andes provide large-scale examples of terrain strongly influencing regional precipitation.

Orographic precipitation is sometimes called relief rainfall. Convectional precipitation instead results mainly from surface heating, while frontal precipitation forms where contrasting air masses meet.