What is the Difference Between Sleet and Snow?

The main difference between sleet and snow lies in their formation process and appearance. Here are the key differences:

• Formation: Snow forms when ice crystals in the atmosphere clump together and fall to the ground. As long as the temperature remains at or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, these crystals remain as snow. Sleet, on the other hand, occurs when snowflakes partially melt as they fall through a warm layer of air and then refreeze as they enter a deep layer of freezing air.
• Appearance: Snowflakes are collections of ice crystals that cling to each other as they fall towards the ground. Sleet, however, appears as small, translucent ice pellets that bounce when they hit the ground.
• Accumulation: Snow accumulates on the ground as ice crystals, while sleet can look like snow if it accumulates on the ground.

Both snow and sleet are forms of frozen precipitation, but snow consists of ice crystals that fall from the sky, while sleet is composed of small ice pellets that are formed when snowflakes melt and refreeze during their descent.

Comparative Table: Sleet vs Snow

Here is a table summarizing the differences between sleet and snow:

Sleet is made up of ice pellets and starts as snow but falls through a layer of air above freezing, where the snow melts and then refreezes before reaching the ground. Snow, on the other hand, is made up of ice crystals that do not melt and refreeze during their descent, and they remain as snow if the temperature is consistently below 32 degrees F.