| Term: | Graupel |
| Definition: |
Snowflakes that become rounded pellets due to riming; typical sizes are 2 to 5 millimeters in diameter (0.1 to 0.2 inch); graupel is sometimes mistaken for hail. NSIDCCryosphere
Same as snow pellets or small hail. NOAA-NWS Heavily rimed snow particles, often called snow pellets; often indistinguishable from very small soft hail except for the size convention that hail must have a diameter greater than 5 mm. Sometimes distinguished by shape into conical, hexagonal, and lump (irregular) graupel. AMSglossary A type of precipitation that consists of a snow crystal and a raindrop frozen together. Also called snow pellets. PhysicalGeography GCW |