December 22, 1998 transcript # 265-2
Subject(s): differences in precipitation
Title: Listener Question: Hail, Sleet And Freezing Rain

Hi, I'm Dave Thurlow from the Mount Washington Observatory and this is The Weather Notebook. Today we have a question that comes from Megan Burt-Kidder, a New Hampshire Public Radio listener:

Megan: "I've always been curious as to what the subtle differences are in the atmospheric conditions that allow either sleet, hail or freezing rain."

Well let's look at each one individually. First up is hail, which falls mainly during the summer. Hail falls from thunderstorm clouds which extend miles high into extremely cold air. Updrafts bring raindrops from the bottom the top of the cloud where they freeze into ice pellets. They then fall only to be blown back up where any coating of rain freezes and the hail stone grows layer by layer for each time the up-down cycle occurs. The hailstones, sometimes the size of baseballs, finaly overcome the updrafts and fall to the ground.

Now sleet falls in the winter if and when when the air temperature is below freezing near the ground and above freezing up in the clouds. Rain forms up where it's warm and falls into the cold air, freezing into little pieces, what we call sleet, on the way down.

Finally freezing rain is almost like sleet except it freezes after it hits the ground forming a glaze of ice. So hail falls from summer thunderstorms and each stone can be as big as a pea, a quarter, or a grapefruit, sleet and freezing rain fall in the winter, sleet being ice pellets and freezing rain being rain that freezes whe it hits the ground.

Be sure to let us know your weather question. Give us a call at 1-888-724-6001 or visit our website at weathernotebook.org. Our show is underwritten by Subaru with major support provided by the National Science Foundation.

They've cancelled school for us here in Indiana already. A little snow has fallen, but mostly it's freezing rain. (or sleet or whatever, lol) It took me 25 minutes to remove the layer of ice from my front windshield and then about 10 minutes to drive 4 blocks. Fun stuff. :rolleyes:

- Lauren, who now can push off her creative writing story 'til tomorrow

No procrastinating!!!! :laugh:

Like I should be talking. I need to read and I'm posting on this freakin' message board.

Tasha

ok, so what makes it snow instead of sleet?

3 ins of snow, 1 in of sleet and its still comin down

65 in N Ms today btw

Snow sucks

T-Monay820 Wrote:Snow sucks

Take that back! :mad: :mad: :mad:

Terpy Wrote:

T-Monay820 Wrote:Snow sucks

Take that back! :mad: :mad: :mad:

:stupid:

Hey JJ...school is closed tomorrow. :D

The heated sidewalks couldn't handle this storm. :laugh:

Tasha

Tasha Wrote:Hey JJ...school is closed tomorrow. :D

The heated sidewalks couldn't handle this storm. :laugh:

Tasha

See, now that sucks. What good are all those heated sidewalks when they can't even hold up in the really cold weather? :ownd:

Terpy Wrote:

T-Monay820 Wrote:Snow sucks

Take that back! :mad: :mad: :mad:

I agree, snow does blow.

Two days of no classes now.

NO SCHOOL TODAY! bwhahaha SCORE! It of course takes my county until 5:30 AM to decide that classes are cancelled though, even though it had been snowing steadily from 8:00 PM onward... :rolleyes: Eh, we're off nonetheless. :D

Let it snow!

1st day of Spring Semester in FROSTBURG and classes were cancelled that's something they nev er do up here! I was so glad that I didn't have to go to my 7:30-10:10pm class....I'm dreading that class this semester!

its sleeting!

nice thin cover of ice on everything