Sleet Frozen raindrops that bounce when hitting the ground characterize sleet. Sleet occurs when the air near the clouds is above freezing, but a thick layer of air near the ground is below freezing, so that the rain freezes as it falls. If the below-freezing layer of air near the ground is not very thick, the raindrops will not have time to freeze on the way down, and ice storm conditions will occur. An ice storm occurs when rain freezes after it hits the ground. This happens because the air near the clouds is warm enough for precipitation to fall as rain, but temperatures at ground level are below freezing.
Ice storms cause ice to accumulate on roads, trees, and power lines.
This situation is extremely dangerous due to icy roads and downed power lines. Wind Chill Wind blowing across your body makes you feel colder. The wind chill factor is a measure of how cold the combination of temperature and wind makes you feel. For more information, see our Wind Chill Factor chart .