sleet
Frozen rain pellets
Sleet is precipitation that falls as ice pellets—rain that freezes before hitting the ground, or snow that partially melts and refreezes.
It creates a distinctive rattling sound on windows and surfaces: The forecast calls for sleet turning to snow overnight.
Sleet makes roads treacherous, coating them with ice.
As a verb, to sleet means to fall as sleet: It sleeted all morning.
Precipitation forming ice on surfaces
- ice pelletsSmall frozen precipitation spheres
- wintry mixMixed frozen precipitation
- drizzleVery light precipitation
- snowFrozen crystalline precipitation
hail · flurries · showers · downpour · squall · weather · forecast · accumulation
Invisible frozen road surface
- skiddingUncontrolled sliding motion
- accidentsUnintended harmful occurrences
- slipperyLacking friction, hard-to-grasp
- treacherousDisloyal and dangerous
dangerous · salting · sanding · delays · cancellations · whiteout · fender-bender · hydroplaning
Small collected water pools
- meltingSolid-to-liquid transition
- slushySemi-melted and wet
- wetSaturated with liquid
- soggyThoroughly wet and soft
sodden · gray · dirty · splashing · mucky · sloppy · waterlogged · thawing
Thin lustrous coating
- icyFrozen or unfriendly
- crustHard outer layer
- sheenSoft surface luster
- layerSingle thickness of material
accumulation · encasing · slick · frozen · glistening · patina · film · rind
freezing rain
Precipitation forming ice on surfaces
- ice pelletsSmall frozen precipitation spheres
- wintry mixMixed frozen precipitation
- drizzleVery light precipitation
snow · hail · flurries · showers · downpour · squall · weather · forecast · accumulation · visibility
black ice
Invisible frozen road surface
- skiddingUncontrolled sliding motion
- accidentsUnintended harmful occurrences
- slipperyLacking friction, hard-to-grasp
treacherous · dangerous · salting · sanding · delays · cancellations · whiteout · fender-bender · hydroplaning · road closure
puddles
Small collected water pools
soggy · sodden · gray · dirty · splashing · mucky · sloppy · waterlogged · thawing · soaked
glaze
Thin lustrous coating
layer · accumulation · encasing · slick · frozen · glistening · patina · film · rind · shell
frigid
Extremely and intensely cold
chilly · icy · numbing · piercing · brisk · wintry · frostbite · hypothermia · shivering · windchill
pinging
Brief high-pitched signal
- rattlingProducing rapid knocks
- tappingRepeated light striking
- peltingStriking repeatedly with projectiles
pattering · drumming · clicking · clattering · tinkling · hammering · staccato · windowpane · roof · awning
- weather phenomenatornado, wind, hurricane, gust, blizzard
- weather termssunny, rainy, cloudy, stormy, snowy
- meteorologyweather, rain, wind, snow, clouds
- precipitationrain, snow, hail, drizzle, snowfall
- weather datatemperature, humidity, rainfall, snowfall, wind speed
- driving weathericy roads, wet roads, slippery roads, hydroplaning, black ice
sleetwarm rain
Tepid falling water
tropical rain · summer rain · scorching heat · rain · sunshine
sleetsunshine
Direct rays from above
clear skies · fair weather · blue skies · nice day · Indian summer