If rain drops or snow form in the clouds, it's the temperatures in the layer of air from under the cloud to the ground that determines what actually falls. For rain, either rain or snow forms in the cloud but the temperatures under the cloud are warm enough for all rain to fall to the ground. For snow, formation of the snow takes place in the cloud and the temperatures under the cloud are cold enough so that there is no melt on the way down. For sleet, rain forms in the clouds but freezes on the way down as it falls through a fairly big layer with temperatures below 32 degrees. This forms what can best be described as ice pellets.
Freezing rain is actually rain that makes it all the way to the ground.
But the temperatures in a very shallow layer near the ground are below freezing so that the rain freezes on impact with the ground or any object such as trees and powerlines. Major problems usually result from freezing rain. TMJ4 is not responsible for the content of external sites links through our site.