Wednesday Weather Whys: The Difference Between Winter Precipitation

New this year is the Wednesday Weather Whys here on North Carolina Foothills Weather. This week we will look at the different forms of precipitation in the winter time. There are four basic precipitation types we can get in the winter: Rain, Snow, Sleet, and/or Freezing Rain. Each one happens different here in western North Carolina, so lets look at the different situations where these events occur here in western North Carolina.
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Freezing Rain

Freezing rain occurs when the temperature through a substantial part of the atmosphere is above freezing; however, the temperature right at the ground is below freezing. The rain will freeze on contact on objects, glazing the objects with a coat of ice.

Sleet

Sleet occurs when there is small layer of above freezing temperature in the atmosphere. This layer melts the snow; however, the drop enters back into a subfreezing region and re-freezes into a sleet pellet. Once a snowflake is melted, it will never be a snowflake again.

Snow

In order for snow to fall, the entire layer of the atmosphere must be at or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. There are exceptions to the rule that will be explained next week when we look at the wet bulb temperature. Check back next week to see how the wet bulb temperature can affect winter weather.