The clouds represent a form of precipitation that does not come as rain — cloud water.

When cloud droplets contact the vegetation and rock surfaces of the summit, they deposit liquid water on those surfaces in a process called cloud condensation or occult precipitation.

This water is essentially pure — distilled by the cycle of evaporation and condensation that produced the cloud — and it contributes to the moisture balance of the summit independently of the rainfall.

Cloud condensation can be a significant water source in certain environments — in some tropical cloud forests, it represents a substantial fraction of total water input.

On the Roraima summit, where clouds are present for much of the day and night throughout the year, the contribution of cloud water to the total water budget may be considerable.