📖 what
What is graupel?
Quick Answer
Graupel is soft, small pellets of snow formed when supercooled water droplets freeze onto snowflakes. It is sometimes called soft hail or snow pellets.
The Full Story
Graupel forms inside cold clouds when snow crystals collide with liquid droplets that remain unfrozen below 0°C. As the droplets freeze on contact, the snowflake grows into a rounded, frosty pellet. Graupel is different from hail, which forms in strong thunderstorms and has a layered structure. It is also different from sleet, which is partially melted snow that refreezes near the ground.
Key Facts
1.Graupel is made by snowflakes collecting frozen droplets
2.It is usually softer than hail
3.It forms in cold clouds with supercooled water
YouTube Angle
Suggested video title for this topic:
"Not snow, not hail: the weird frozen pellet in the middle."
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