An optical icing conditions detector comprising: a pulsed laser system configured to generate a first pulse of circularly polarized light having a first wavelength and further configured to generate a second pulse of light having a second wavelength; first and second optical receivers (16, 18) configured to receive reflected light signals corresponding to light of the first pulse reflected by a cloud and to generate electrical output signals corresponding to the received reflected light signals; a third optical receiver configured to receive reflected light signals corresponding to light of the second pulse reflected by the cloud and to generate electrical output signals corresponding to the received reflected light signals; first, second, and third analog channels (22, 24, 26), each configured to receive the electrical output signal generated by a corresponding one of the first, second, and third optical receivers, respectively, each of the first, second, and third analog channels including: a peak detector configured to generate a signal indicative of a peak of a light signal reflected by the cloud; and a post-peak slope detector configured to generate one or two signals indicative of a rate of decay of the light signal reflected by the cloud, the rate of decay corresponding to a time following a time of the detected peak; a reflection fluctuation detector configured to generate a signal indicative of a high-frequency fluctuation of the electrical output signal; wherein the first analog channel is configured to operate on a first reflected light signal corresponding to light of the first pulse reflected by the cloud, the first reflected light signal having a left-hand circular polarization, wherein the second analog channel {+8} is configured to operate on a second reflected light signal corresponding to light of the first pulse reflected by the cloud, the second reflected light signal having a right-hand circular polarization; characterized by a microprocessor configured to calculate, based on the signal indicative of the peak and the one or two signals indicative of the rate of decay, a backscatter coefficient (β) and an optical extinction coefficient (α), and further configured to calculate, based on the signal indicative of high-frequency fluctuation, a measure of a density of large particles in the cloud. a pulsed laser system configured to generate a first pulse of circularly polarized light having a first wavelength and further configured to generate a second pulse of light having a second wavelength; first and second optical receivers (16, 18) configured to receive reflected light signals corresponding to light of the first pulse reflected by a cloud and to generate electrical output signals corresponding to the received reflected light signals; a third optical receiver configured to receive reflected light signals corresponding to light of the second pulse reflected by the cloud and to generate electrical output signals corresponding to the received reflected light signals; first, second, and third analog channels (22, 24, 26), each configured to receive the electrical output signal generated by a corresponding one of the first, second, and third optical receivers, respectively, each of the first, second, and third analog channels including: a peak detector configured to generate a signal indicative of a peak of a light signal reflected by the cloud; and a post-peak slope detector configured to generate one or two signals indicative of a rate of decay of the light signal reflected by the cloud, the rate of decay corresponding to a time following a time of the detected peak; a reflection fluctuation detector configured to generate a signal indicative of a high-frequency fluctuation of the electrical output signal; a peak detector configured to generate a signal indicative of a peak of a light signal reflected by the cloud; and a post-peak slope detector configured to generate one or two signals indicative of a rate of decay of the light signal reflected by the cloud, the rate of decay corresponding to a time following a time of the detected peak; a reflection fluctuation detector configured to generate a signal indicative of a high-frequency fluctuation of the electrical output signal; wherein the first analog channel is configured to operate on a first reflected light signal corresponding to light of the first pulse reflected by the cloud, the first reflected light signal having a left-hand circular polarization, wherein the second analog channel {+8} is configured to operate on a second reflected light signal corresponding to light of the first pulse reflected by the cloud, the second reflected light signal having a right-hand circular polarization; characterized by a microprocessor configured to calculate, based on the signal indicative of the peak and the one or two signals indicative of the rate of decay, a backscatter coefficient (β) and an optical extinction coefficient (α), and further configured to calculate, based on the signal indicative of high-frequency fluctuation, a measure of a density of large particles in the cloud.