Wednesday word: graupel

[trellia-chan.livejournal.com]

graupel: [grou-puh l]

Another weather term.  Not quite sleet, not quite snow, not quite hail.  Graupel is a small, soft white ice particle that falls as precipitation and breaks apart easily when it is handled or lands on a surface. Also called snow pellets or soft hail. It is formed when cold droplets of water freeze onto a falling snowflake.


Origin: 1885-90. German: diminutive of Graupe meaning hulled grain

Comments

[iambe.livejournal.com]

if I could "like" this, I would! It looks so fluffy :)

[wildflower399.livejournal.com]

Arrghh, we had some of this yesterday. D-:
It seems there is just no end to winter here this year.
I want spring NOW!!!

[belovedwarrior.livejournal.com]

It is the stuff that looks like dip'n'dots!

[theidolhands.livejournal.com]

It does and I had no idea this form of hail existed!

[belovedwarrior.livejournal.com]

I knew it existed but I didn't know the name for it. We get it frequently in the Spring when it's hovering around freezing temperature and isn't sure if it should rain or snow.