There are three precipitation forms that are collections of ice.
1) In the US, frozen ice pellets are called sleet. This consists of melted snowflakes that are refrozen and fall as small pellets of ice, rather than freezing rain (glaze).
2) The form graupel or "soft hail" consists of ice that accumulates on falling snowflakes. This is encapsulated snow.
3) Layered ice, sometimes in clumps, is hail. Hailstones form through repeated cycles of liquid coating and freezing, almost always in thunderstorms.
Answer:
Ice or Snow
That depends on the temperature AND the updraft velocity of the winds aloft - anything from gentle rain to snow, sleet, or hail.
Precipitation is formed by water.
SLEET
It's called 'hailstones' or 'hail'.
hail~
Hail
hail
ice flakes.
Freezing rain occurs when the layer of freezing air is so thin that the raindrops do not have enough time to freeze before reaching the ground. ... Sleet is simply frozen raindrops and occurs when the layer of freezing air along the surface is thicker. This causes the raindrops to freeze before reaching the ground.
Freezing rain can come from Cumulonimbus and Nimbostratus clouds, but the clouds are not responsible for the freezing rain. If the precipitation falls from the clouds as snow it must pass through a warm layer of air to melt the snow flakes into rain drops. Then the raindrops must pass through a frigid layer of air that super-cools them. Finally, the rain instantly turns to ice if it lands on a surface that has a temperature below freezing. Then you know you have freezing rain. (see Related Link below for more detail on freezing rain.)
Precipitation consisting of generally transparent frozen raindrops that form when snowflakes fall through a warmer layer and melt, before passing through a sub-freezing layer near the surface and completely refreezing into ice pellets. Sleet does not freeze on contact like freezing rain (also known as glaze).
Freezing rain happens when there is a layer of warmer air above a layer of sub-freezing air. The moisture passes through the warmer layer either causing it to become liquid or keeping it in liquid form. When it hits the sub-freezing level, if the layer of cold air is very thick, it will fall as sleet or snow. If it is very shallow, it will just fall as rain. But, if the layer is just think enough, the rain will pass through, be supercooled, and freeze on contact with most any surface.
dike
Raindrops which pass through a layer of freezing air near the ground become sleet.
snow
it becomes sleet
Freezing rain occurs when the layer of freezing air is so thin that the raindrops do not have enough time to freeze before reaching the ground. ... Sleet is simply frozen raindrops and occurs when the layer of freezing air along the surface is thicker. This causes the raindrops to freeze before reaching the ground.
Hail forms by small water droplets evaporating then falling through a freezing layer of rain then rising then falling back through the freezing layer. it may do this a few times before it finally falls.
Sleet
Freezing rain can come from Cumulonimbus and Nimbostratus clouds, but the clouds are not responsible for the freezing rain. If the precipitation falls from the clouds as snow it must pass through a warm layer of air to melt the snow flakes into rain drops. Then the raindrops must pass through a frigid layer of air that super-cools them. Finally, the rain instantly turns to ice if it lands on a surface that has a temperature below freezing. Then you know you have freezing rain. (see Related Link below for more detail on freezing rain.)
Freezing rain.
Precipitation consisting of generally transparent frozen raindrops that form when snowflakes fall through a warmer layer and melt, before passing through a sub-freezing layer near the surface and completely refreezing into ice pellets. Sleet does not freeze on contact like freezing rain (also known as glaze).
Freezing rain happens when there is a layer of warmer air above a layer of sub-freezing air. The moisture passes through the warmer layer either causing it to become liquid or keeping it in liquid form. When it hits the sub-freezing level, if the layer of cold air is very thick, it will fall as sleet or snow. If it is very shallow, it will just fall as rain. But, if the layer is just think enough, the rain will pass through, be supercooled, and freeze on contact with most any surface.
1. Snow- Snow forms at temperatures below freezing. For snow to reach the earth's surface the entire temperature profile in the troposphere needs to be at or below freezing. It can be slightly above freezing in some layers if the layer is not warm or deep enough the melt the snow flakes much. The intensity of snow is determined by the accumulation over a given time. Categories of snow are light, moderate and heavy.. Sleet- Sleets are frozen raindrops that strike the earth's surface. In a sleet situation the precipitation aloft when it is first generated will be snow. The snow falls through a layer that is a little above freezing and the snow partially melts. If the snow completely melts it will be more likely to reach the earth's surface as supercooled water instead of sleet. If the snow partially melts there will still be ice within the falling drop for water to freeze on when the drop falls into a subfreezing layer. The lowest layer of the troposphere will be below freezing in a sleet situation and deep enough to freeze drops completely. The lower boundary layer can be above freezing and sleet occur if the sleet does not have time to melt before reaching the surface.
dike