Ice pellets

Ice pellets are a form of precipitation falling in the raindrops or snowflakes melted by a cold layer of air while (again) freeze. If grains of ice fall from the sky, we speak of freezing rain. Are the drops only cool, but still liquid and freeze only when it strikes the ground, it is called colloquially also of " freezing rain ", correctly, is but to freezing rain.

Unlike sleet or hail ice grains are largely transparent, lack a nucleus and are made ​​up of layers of ice. Its size is not more than 6 mm.

If ice pellets hit the ground, they form a solid Eisüberzug. Unlike the freezing rain, the ice surface is not completely smooth, but slightly serrated, because each Eiskorn forms a small hill.