Snow pellets is a form of precipitation where snow flakes partially melt on falling into warmer air, with the loss of their flake structure, and then re-freeze on passing back into colder air to form amorphous or semi-crystalline pellets of snow.

Description

The pellets are typically 1-5 mm in diameter. It is distinct from true hail in that it is not built up from concentric layers of solid ice, usually retains the tiny air pockets held in the original snowflake, making it white and soft compared to hail. It is distinct from ice pellets in that it the final product retains a soft structure and surface, while the surface of an ice pellet is smooth and hard.

Formation

It commonly forms in clouds on cold fronts where the high air turbulence increases the possibility of snowflakes passing through successive currents of warmer and colder air on descent.

The snow produced by snow cannons closely resembles snow pellets.

Snow

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