Snow-like graupel falls in the Sacramento area

SACRAMENTO - The National Weather Service says it has received multiple reports of frozen precipitation falling in Sacramento on Wednesday. 

In a tweet Wednesday, the agency said, "With temperatures in the low 50s, this is a graupel and/or hail mixture, not snow. If it's soft/wet, it's graupel. If it's hard/solid, it's hail.

Graupel is snowflakes that collect supercooled water droplets on the outer surface. They form when it's very cold aloft but there are above-freezing temperatures on and near the ground.

A Winter Storm Warning was issued for the northern Sacramento Valley and for the Foothills of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valley ABOVE 1,000 ft. 

 This does not include the cities of Stockton and Modesto in the valley.