What kind of precipitation is typically expected during the passage of a warm front?

Warm fronts are known for their gradual rise of warm, moist air over cooler air, leading to several characteristic weather patterns. As this warm air ascends, it cools and condenses, forming clouds that typically lead to light and steady precipitation.

Drizzling rain is often associated with warm fronts because the clouds that develop, usually stratiform in nature, generate prolonged light to moderate rainfall rather than downpours. The precipitation tends to be gentle and can last for several hours or longer, indicative of the gradual nature of a warm front's movement.

In contrast, heavy rain tends to occur with cold fronts where unstable air is forced upwards quickly, resulting in thunderstorms and more intense precipitation in a short time frame. Snow primarily occurs in winter conditions when temperatures are low enough, not usually associated with warm fronts, which involve warmer conditions. Thunderstorms are more typical of cold fronts as well, where the swift ascent of warmer air can create severe weather.

Thus, the expectation of drizzling rain aligns perfectly with the behavior of warm fronts, making it the correct answer.