| We have all heard the terms freezing rain, sleet, | | | | devastating as a freezing rain event. |
| and snow when tuning into our local weather | | | | Freezing rain occurs when a droplet starts as |
| person on the television before, but do you really | | | | snow as it falls through the atmosphere. Then, |
| know the difference between these elements? | | | | this snowflake melts as it falls through layers of |
| Some of you may ask: Why do I need to know | | | | the atmosphere. The now melted snowflake |
| the difference? Well, the difference between | | | | encounters a below freezing layer of air near the |
| freezing rain, sleet, or snow event could be the | | | | surface of the earth which quickly supercools the |
| difference between knowing you have a chance | | | | droplet. With the droplet now supercooled, it will |
| to make it to work in the morning or whether | | | | then freeze upon impact of the earth's surface or |
| you should really prepare to work from home. A | | | | any other surface along its way. Freezing rain is |
| brief snow may have moderate impacts on your | | | | one of the culprits that brings down power lines in |
| travel, but a brief freezing rain event could wreak | | | | the winter, puts highways at a standstill, and turns |
| havoc on everyone's travel plans. | | | | any location into a crystal city. |
| Snow occurs when a snowflake falls from the | | | | At times you may hear your local weather |
| upper levels of the atmosphere and does not | | | | person use the term "mix". The forecaster is |
| encounter any layers enough above freezing | | | | usually referring to an area that could see any |
| throughout its journey to the earth that would | | | | combination of rain, freezing rain, sleet, and/or |
| melt the snowflake. There are many classifications | | | | snow. These areas typically are some of the |
| of snow and most travels are well aware of the | | | | most dangerous areas to travel due to the |
| impacts from high accumulations of snow. The | | | | possibility of freezing rain and sleet. Defining the |
| difficulty comes in differentiating between other | | | | exact lines of freezing rain, sleet, snow, or rain |
| types of freezing precipitation. | | | | can be very difficult for forecasters. |
| Sleet occurs when a snowflake falls from a cloud | | | | Whether you will encounter snow, sleet, or |
| then enters into a warm layer and melts. The | | | | freezing rain, you are bound to have some delays |
| now melted snowflake then continues to fall then | | | | in your travel. Hopefully this will help you to better |
| it enters into a cold layer near the surface of the | | | | understand the differences and what to expect |
| earth and freezes again. When the frozen droplet | | | | when you wake up in the morning to head to |
| impacts the earth, it is usually in the form of ice | | | | your destination. Keep a close eye on the |
| and does not freeze upon impact. High | | | | weather along your route when the next storm |
| accumulations of sleet may cause problems for | | | | system is pushing through. |
| the road travelers, but is typically not as | | | | |