In a winter cloud, falling precipitation often begins as snow. It can stay snow through cold air. If it enters warm air, it may melt. A deep enough cold layer below can turn falling drops into ice pellets called sleet.
Weather and climate · Discover & try
Why does rain sometimes arrive as snow or sleet?
Reading level 2 of 5 · DevelopingChange
Word help
sleet
Ice pellets that freeze before reaching the ground.
freezing rain
Liquid rain that freezes when it reaches a freezing surface.
temperature profile
How temperature changes with height through the air.
Watch · Try · Explain
See how it works
The interactive activity is loading.
Selected winter pathways through simplified air-temperature profiles; not a forecast.
What to look for
- Whether falling snow enters warm air
- The depth of the cold layer below
- Whether drops freeze before or after landing
Explain what you noticed
Which description matches sleet in this model?
Keep this idea: Precipitation depends on the air layers crossed.
Follow the sources
- NOAA National Weather Service — Winter Weather Precipitation
- NOAA National Weather Service — Will it rain, sleet or snow?
Source material checked 2026-10-28. Explanations and activities by Nepedia. Agency source links do not imply endorsement.
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