Rain and snow mixed
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Rain and snow mixed (
Terminology
This precipitation type is commonly known as sleet in most Commonwealth countries.[2] However, the United States National Weather Service uses the term sleet to refer to ice pellets instead.[3]
Formation
This precipitation occurs when the
"Wintry showers" or "wintry mixes"
Wintry showers is a somewhat informal meteorological term, used primarily in the
In the United States, wintry mix generally refers to a mixture of freezing rain, ice pellets, and snow.[5] In contrast to the usage in the United Kingdom, in the United States it is usually used when both air and ground temperatures are below 0 °C (32 °F). Additionally, it is generally used when some surface accumulation of ice and snow is expected to occur. During winter, a wide area can be affected by the multiple mixed precipitation types typical of a wintry mix during a single winter storm, as counterclockwise winds around a storm system bring warm air northwards ahead of the system, and then bring cold air back southwards behind it. Most often, it is the region ahead of the approaching storm system which sees the wintry mix, as warm air moves northward and above retreating cold air in a warm front, causing snow to change into ice pellets, freezing rain and finally rain. The reverse transition can occur behind the departing low-pressure system, though it is more common for precipitation to freeze directly from rain to snow, or for it to stop before a transition back.
See also
- Freezing rain
- Ice pellets
- Sleet (disambiguation)
- Slush
- Winter weather
References
- ^ "Rain and snow mixed - AMS Glossary". Glossary.ametsoc.org. 2012-01-26. Retrieved 2019-06-13.
- ^ "SLEET | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary". Dictionary.cambridge.org. Retrieved 2019-06-13.
- ^ "Glossary - NOAA's National Weather Service". W1.weather.gov. 2009-06-25. Retrieved 2019-06-13.
- ^ Crh.noaa.gov
- ^ "wintry mix - Definition of wintry mix in English by Lexico Dictionaries". Lexico Dictionaries - English. Archived from the original on August 15, 2019.