What Is Sleet

Dec 8, 2013sleet occurs when snowflakes only partially melt when they fall through a shallow layer of warm air. Sleet, globular, generally transparent ice pellets that have diameters of 5 mm (0.2 inch) or less and that form as a result of the freezing of raindrops or the freezing of mostly melted snowflakes. 14 hours agofreezing rain and sleet, though they are different in appearance, are very similar in how they are formed.

Like freezing rain, sleet starts as snow, then melts and forms. When sleet strikes hard surfaces, it produces a distinctive rattling or pinging sound, much like small beads hitting a window or car windshield. Jan 12, 2026freezing rain and sleet are both types of wintry precipitation, but have vastly different consequences.

Oct 19, 2023sometimes the weather forecast warns of “ sleet,” rather than snow. 3 days agothe impacts on roads and power outage risk can drastically differ from snow to sleet to freezing rain. Sleet is a regionally variant term for some meteorological phenomena:

Jun 4, 2024sleet consists of small pellets of ice that form by the freezing of raindrops or partially melted snowflakes as they fall through a layer of cold air. Sleet is a type of solid precipitation that occurs during winter weather. Sleet has no internationally agreed definition but is reported in meteorological observations as a combination or mix of.