What Is Graupel? Understanding this unique snow pellet in weather

Graupel is a unique type of precipitation, also referred to as soft hail or snow pellets. 

We will follow the journey of precipitation falling to the surface to understand how it forms. 

High above our heads in the atmosphere, everything is cold enough to be snow. 

As the snow falls toward the surface, it encounters a layer of supercooled water droplets. This is a fancy way of describing water drops that are below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. They remain in liquid form until they have an object to freeze onto (or are disturbed). 

These water droplets freeze on impact with the snowflake.

As they fall through the final layers of the atmosphere toward the surface, the snowflake and supercooled water are shaped into a soft ball. This is our graupel!