Snow pellets
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Snow pellets are a form of precipitation in which snow flakes partially melt and lose their flake structure as they fall into warm air, then re-freeze as they pass back into colder air, forming amorphous or semi-crystalline pellets of snow. It may also be known as soft hail.
The METAR code for Snow Pellets is GS.
[edit] Description
Snow pellets are typically 1-5 mm in diameter and are distinct from true hail in that they are not composed of concentric layers of solid ice. Snow pellets usually retain the tiny air pockets of the original snowflake, making them white and softer than hail. Snow pellets are also distinct from ice pellets and snow grains in that they retain a soft structure and surface, while the surface of an ice pellet is smooth and hard.
- white,
- opaque particle of ice,
- 2–5 mm in diameter,
- spherical or conical in shape,
- brittle and easy to crush,
- they bounce and can breakup on impact,
- usually occur in showers,
- often fall with snow flakes or rain when the surface temperature is around 0°C.
[edit] Formation
Snow pellets commonly form in clouds on cold fronts where high air turbulence increases the possibility of snowflakes passing through successive currents of warm and cold air on descent.
The snow produced by snow cannons closely resembles snow pellets.
