Sleet is a form of melted snow that freezes into pellets of ice before they reach the ground. Sleet can be experienced only under certain conditions of the weather. From the clouds, it begins its journey as a drop of rain or snowflake.

The layer from where the sleet comes has a temperature below the freezing point. While advancing towards the ground, sleet passes through much warmer layers of atmosphere.

Here are some interesting facts about sleet.

• The snowflakes and the raindrops have to go through a layer much colder than the freezing point and this is where the raindrop tends to freeze into sleet. Melted form of snowflake also freezes back after coming to this layer.

• Sleet is a small and crystal clear particle of ice that bounces off when it falls on the ground. They are less than 5mm which is much smaller than a hailstone.

• Sleet is not as hard and big as hail so they do not cause any serious harm to animals or crops. Sleet should not be confused with freezing rain. Freezing rain has to pass through a cold layer too before it hits the ground.

• A freezing rain covers a tree with a thin jacket of ice or frost. It was actually in liquid state when it fell on the ground but eventually hardened or solidified on coming in contact with colder atmosphere near the ground.

• Sleet is transparent in nature and when in a bigger form it is named as hail. Sleet is almost the same as freezing rain with very slight differences. Both make the place slippery when they fall but sleet never sticks to the ground while freezing rain does.

• Sleet is often seen to come down with rain and snow. It happens only under specific weather conditions and that too in the winter season. Therefore it can be said that it is a bit different from hailstorms as it can occur any time a year.

• In some regions of United States and Great Britain, an admixture of snow and rain together is known as sleet. The term sometimes refer to clear forms of ice which is more appropriately called a glaze.

• Hail is formed inside the cloud while sleet starts to form on its way down to the ground from the cloud. The core of the hail freezes as it freezes inside out but in case of sleet it starts to freeze from outside and then reaches the inner surface.

• Freezing rain is known as super-cold water drops which freezes after coming in contact with the cold ground. The surface temperature has to be below or near freezing point. They are popular in winter as ice-storms and are indeed very hazardous.

• Among rain, freezing rain, sleet, hail is the most uncommon form of precipitation which occurs in the summer season. It forms out of cumulonimbus cloud and can be the size of a baseball field.

It is safer to stay at home when dangerous precipitation like hail or freezing rain or sleet occurs. The roads become slippery which become prone to accidents and other fatal mishaps.