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. When sleet strikes hard surfaces, it produces a distinctive rattling or pinging sound, much like small beads hitting a window or car windshield.

1 day agoboth sleet and freezing rain both involve warm air aloft and cold air near the ground. 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.

Rain and snow mixed (american english) or sleet (commonwealth english) is precipitation composed of a mixture of rain and partially melted snow. 4 days agothe impacts on roads and power outage risk can drastically differ from snow to sleet to freezing rain. 20 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. 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.