TOLEDO, Ohio — Editor's note: The above video about graupel was originally posted in September.
We have seen it before, but what is graupel? It is not often the WTOL 11 weather team talks about graupel in the forecast, but now that the fall chill has arrived, the potential for graupel exists.
Graupel are soft, small ice pellets that form in the cloud and fall to the surface. Water droplets in the cloud are high enough in the atmosphere where temperatures are below freezing, 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
The cold water droplets then collide with the snow crystals within in the cloud. During the collisions, the water droplets coat the snow crystal, which is calling riming. Once the coated snow crystal becomes heavy, it will fall to the ground. However, to be classified as graupel the pellet has to stay under 0.2 inches.
Since the water has coated the snow crystal, it is soft due it’s structure. Due to the soft structure, graupel is also known as soft hail or snow pellets. When touching or handling graupel, it is fragile.
Graupel is different from hail because of size. Also, the beginning stages of hail formation uses graupel as it’s nucleus.
If you have any graupel photos, please share them on the WTOL 11 News app or the WTOL 11 Weather app.
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