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Breaking it Down with Brittney - Graupel

How Graupel Forms Explainer
Posted at 8:26 AM, May 27, 2021
and last updated 2021-05-27 09:26:23-04

GRAUPEL: Have you ever wondered, what it is? It practically looks like Dippin' Dots falling from the sky! It may also look like small hail to you, but it's soft and crushable, which can be confusing.

It's ice covered snow, that is too small and soft and to cause any damage. It forms in almost all thunderstorms, but usually melts to rain before it hits the ground. Which is why it's most common to see it in the beginning or end of a thunderstorm season.

Meteorologist Brittney Merlot shows us the steps on how graupel is formed, which relies on different temperatures throughout the atmospheres layers.

She breaks down the science on how supercooled droplets attach and rime to a snowflake, to form these tiny pellets.