What is the difference?

1/24/2013 6:24:04 PM

%frozen/ outside temp

1/24/2013 6:30:23 PM

freezing rain = sleet

ice pellets = hail

[Edited on January 24, 2013 at 6:40 PM. Reason : actually it looks like definitions vary by country]

1/24/2013 6:39:46 PM

Ice pellets and sleet are the same, freezing rain is liquid but freezes on contact with a surface

1/24/2013 6:42:58 PM

Freezing rain falls as water and freezes before it runs off or evaporates

Ice pellets are like small hail stones that fall from the sky

Sleet when large boulders of ice and meteoric rock fall from the atmosphere

[Edited on January 24, 2013 at 7:07 PM. Reason : k, better?]

1/24/2013 6:44:04 PM

isn't this in the 4th grade curriculum?

Quote :

"Sleet is a light dusting of snow, think small snow flakes"

[Edited on January 24, 2013 at 6:45 PM. Reason : ]

1/24/2013 6:45:07 PM

Is this a real question???

If it is, then freezing rain is liquid rain drops that freeze on contact. Sleet and Ice Pellets are the same thing. Ice Pellets are what I use when I do the weather observations here at the airport. If you ever happen to see a METAR observation, then ice pellets are coded as PL.
RA - Rain
SN - Snow
PL - Ice Pellets
FZRA - Freezing Rain
GR/GS - Hail depending on its size and is NOT the same thing as ice pellets

You'll likely see a (-), nothing, or a (+) before that to indicate intensity, and more often than not, you'll see a space then BR which is mist (an obscuration and not a preset weather phenomena like the others)

1/24/2013 6:46:11 PM

Quote :

"Sleet is a light dusting of snow, think small snow flakes"

i think you're thinking of "flurry"

1/24/2013 6:48:15 PM

imho sleet and ice pellets differ by the size of the falling object...

sleet is like thick sand consistency or shitty snowcone texture where ice pellets are what you get in your drink at zaxbies.

1/24/2013 6:55:22 PM

You're thinking of snow grains (SG) which is actually a thing, but have some odd properties and are not terribly frequent around these parts.

[Edited on January 24, 2013 at 6:59 PM. Reason : METAR]

1/24/2013 6:57:54 PM

HEY GUIZE, H8R WAS WRONG!!!

MARK IT DOWN ON THE INTERNETS!!1

1/24/2013 7:09:25 PM

but he soooo good.



[Edited on January 24, 2013 at 7:14 PM. Reason : :honomo:]

1/24/2013 7:12:10 PM

i always thought that sleet was basically frozen rain drops that freeze soon before hitting the ground. so it's basically a frozen rain drop.

hail is frozen before it ever starts its descent, or freezes high in the atmosphere and collects more ice on its way down, so it's bigger than a frozen rain drop by the time it hits the ground

1/24/2013 7:12:31 PM

CHECK OUT MY EDIT, K

1/24/2013 7:13:08 PM