What Are the Tiny White Pellets That Fall in Mountain Storms?

What Crafty Clover says in this video

Intro

Hi there, curious minds! I'm Crafty Clover! Let's discover something amazing. What are the tiny white pellets that fall in mountain storms?

The Big Idea

The tiny white pellets that fall in mountain storms are called graupel! They look like tiny foam balls, and they are soft and crumbly. Graupel is common in cool mountain showers.

Snow Falls Through

Step one: crystals meet droplets. Graupel forms when falling snow crystals pass through a cloud of very cold water droplets. These droplets are colder than freezing, yet still liquid, which scientists call supercooled. They freeze the moment they touch something.

Fuzzy Freeze

Step two: a fuzzy coating. The droplets freeze onto the crystal in a fuzzy coating. More and more freeze on until it looks like a tiny foam ball. Air gets trapped between the frozen bits.

Soft Hail

Step three: softer than hail. Graupel pellets are softer and crumblier than hail. They are common in cool mountain showers, and they bounce on the ground.

A Closer Look

Let's take a closer look! It starts with a snow crystal. Cold droplets hit it as it falls. They freeze on in a fuzzy coating. The result is a soft, foam-like pellet.

Quick Facts

Quick facts! Graupel is sometimes called soft hail. You can crush it between your fingers. Hail is hard, layered ice that forms in strong thunderstorms. Graupel is lighter and can bounce when it lands.

Think Like a Scientist

Now, think like a scientist! Roll tiny balls of cotton onto a dark plate. Compare them with a photo of graupel. Why would these be softer than hail? Because graupel is full of tiny air pockets!

Outro

Graupel is soft, fuzzy ice made when cold droplets freeze onto snow. Science is amazing! Crafty Clover can be found on Amazon Books, Google Bookstore, and Apple Books. Available for purchase or download! Bye for now!