Pao-Kuan Wang prepares to put a flake under the scope. This page adapted from our avalanche feature. Even though water is much denser than air, these droplets and ice crystals are small enough to be suspended by random upward air motion. When these droplets or crystals join together, gravity overcomes the suspending force and we have precipitation. Sleet is rain that freezes after exiting a cloud.
Freezing rain is liquid water that freezes after contacting Earth.
Freezing rain causes dreaded ice storms and is a major hazard to transportation and utility lines. Snow is water that freezes and aggregates in clouds. Snow, as we'll see, takes countless crystalline structures. Snow job Water freezes when it drops below the freezing point and loses an amount of energy called the heat of crystallization. When a large amount of water freezes, we get hunks of ice.