| Term: | Snow grains |
| Definition: |
Frozen precipitation in the form of very small, white opaque grains of ice. The solid equivalent of drizzle. Their diameter is generally 1 mm. When grains hit hard ground, they do not bounce or shatter. They usually fall in very small quantities, mostly from Status clouds or fog and never in the form of a shower. CanadaNCA
Precipitation in the form of very small, white opaque ice particles; they resemble snow pellets but are more flattened and elongated, with a diameter less than 1 mm; the solid equivalent of drizzle. NSIDCCryosphere Minute, white and opaque grains of ice. When they hit hard ground, they do not bounce or shatter. They usually fall in very small quantities, and never in the form of a shower. ECCCanada Precipitation consisting of white, opaque ice particles usually less than 1 mm in diameter. NOAA-NWS Precipitation of very small opaque white particles of ice which fall from a cloud and which are fairly flat or elongated with diameters generally less than 1 mm. WMOMeteoterm Precipitation in the form of very small, white opaque particles of ice; the solid equivalent of drizzle. (Also called granular snow.) They resemble snow pellets in external appearance, but are more flattened and elongated, and generally have diameters of less than 1 mm; they neither shatter nor bounce when they hit a hard surface. Descriptions of the physical structure of snow grains vary widely and include very fine, simple ice crystals; tiny, complex snow crystals; small, compact bundles of rime; and particles with a rime core and a fine glaze coating. It is agreed that snow grains usually fall in very small quantities, mostly from stratus clouds or from fog, and never in the form of a shower. AMSglossary GCW |