What is graupel? It’s not exactly snow or hail
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – You may have noticed something similar to snow and hail on Friday, so what is it? A common name for the weather phenomena is “graupel,” also dubbed “soft hail.”
It’s similar to hail but starts as a piece of snow. As the snowflake falls, water drops will freeze to it, creating hail-like pieces. Graupel ends up as a rounded, small piece of snow.
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It’s not as hard as hail and usually melts after bouncing onto the ground. The pellets can collect on trees and bushes.
For graupel to come down, the atmosphere must be around freezing but not too cold.
The NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory considers graupel a type of “frozen precipitation.”
If you have any weather-related photos or videos that you would like to share, email them to KRQE News 13 at reporit@krqe.com.
