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Snow, sleet, freezing rain: What's the difference?

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Credit: National Weather Service

Credit: National Weather Service

By Staff reports
Feb 11, 2014

Snow is frozen precipation that stays frozen as it falls to the ground.

Sleet starts as snow but melts in warm air and refreezes before landing.  It often falls as ice pellets that can bounce when they hit the ground of the hood of a car.

Freezing rain melts in warm air, lands as normal rain and then freezes to cold surfaces. When freezing rain lands and accululates on tree branches and power lines, it can weigh them down to the point that they collapse.

More:

ExploreNational Weather Service: Winter Weather Preparedness
ExploreIce Storms: Why they're so Dangerous

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