What is graupel? We break down this often misunderstood precipitation type
Is it small hail? Big snow? Both? Here's the explanation.
A few places in Canada have been re-introduced to winter weather this week, and some places, particularly in Ontario, found themselves pelted with what looks like small hail.
It's not hail, however – that is typically formed in thunderstorms. Rather, the small, soft pellets are what is known as graupel, when supercooled water droplets high in the atmosphere freeze into a snow crystal.
When conditions are right, it can grow to considerably larger than a snowflake, but not quite as large as a hailstone.
Sometimes called snow pellets or soft hail, they're also not as potentially destructive as hail. In fact, they're quite fragile, disintegrating easily.
For more on graupel, watch the video above.
