Unraveling the Mystery Behind Winter Weather Forecasts
Winter storms bring a wide range of precipitation types – snow, sleet, hail, freezing rain, and plain old rain. Have you ever wondered why there is such a variety? The key lies in temperature changes as the precipitation descends. Different temperatures at various stages of the journey play a significant role in determining what type of precipitation reaches the ground.
Snow occurs when the entire path from the clouds to the surface is cold. On the other hand, rain falls when the entire route is warm. However, the focus this week is on freezing rain and sleet as an icy winter storm targets parts of the central and eastern U.S.
So, how do sleet and freezing rain form? These phenomena occur due to a “warm-air sandwich” in the atmosphere above us. The precipitation begins as snow in the cold upper layer, then melts into rain as it passes through the warm layer, and finally refreezes into sleet or freezing rain as it encounters the cold layer near the surface.
In the case of sleet, a thin warm air layer is present, with a larger cold air wedge refreezing the partially melted snowflakes into ice pellets. Freezing rain, on the other hand, requires a thicker warm air layer. The snow melts into rain and refreezes upon contact with the cold ground.
Sleet consists of ice pellets that bounce off surfaces, posing less danger compared to freezing rain, which forms a solid sheet of ice. Freezing rain is considered the most hazardous as it creates treacherous icy conditions.
Hail, another frozen precipitation type, forms differently from sleet. While sleet occurs in winter storms, hail forms in thunderstorms prevalent in spring, summer, or fall. Tiny snow-like particles develop in subfreezing air at the top of a thunderstorm and grow larger as ice crystals and cloud droplets freeze onto them. These hailstones are suspended in the clouds by strong updrafts until gravity pulls them down. Hailstones can vary in size, with the heaviest ever recorded weighing 2.25 pounds in Bangladesh.
Understanding the distinctions between these winter weather elements can help you interpret forecasts more effectively and prepare for the conditions ahead.
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