As the calendar gets closer to winter, it's important to understand the different types of precipitation that can occur during the cold season. Unlike summer where almost all the precipitation is rain, except when hail falls from thunderstorms, the winter can see almost everything. During the winter months we can experience rain, snow, sleet, and freezing rain. Most folks know about rain and snow. These are important questions because major problems can take place with these types of precipitation.
Sleet is just frozen drops of rain.
It tends to bounce off of objects and makes lots of noise. It forms when the temperatures are above freezing near the level of the clouds and rain forms. Under the clouds the temperature drops below freezing and the raindrops freeze on their way down to the ground. Another name for sleet is ice pellets. Freezing rain is just liquid rain drops falling from the sky into a very shallow layer of below freezing temperature near the earth's surface.