What is going on outside? Is it rain, is it sleet, or is it snow? It is none of the above, what you are seeing outside is called grappling.

According to Wikipedia Grappling is:

Graupel (/ˈɡrpəl/German: [ˈɡʁaʊpl̩]), also called soft hailhominy snow, or snow pellets,[1] is precipitation that forms when supercooled water droplets are collected and freeze on falling snowflakes, forming 2–5 mm (0.08–0.20 in) balls of rime.[2]

Graupel is distinct from hail and ice pellets. Hail is common in thunderstorms, while graupel typically falls in winter storms.

Graupel was formerly referred to by meteorologists as soft hail. However, graupel is easily distinguishable from hail in both the shape and strength of the pellet and the circumstances in which it falls. Ice from hail is formed in hard, relatively uniform layers and usually falls only during thunderstorms. Graupel forms fragile, oblong shapes and falls in place of typical snowflakes in wintry mix situations, often in concert with ice pellets. Graupel is also fragile enough that it will typically fall apart when touched.[4]

So, I was today years old when I learned what the term graupel meant. I have no idea, I thought it was just sleet or something. I swear living in West Texas we learn new weather terms all the time, like haboob. As any normal person not from West Texas what a haboob is and they will have no clue, but we know all to well. It's a massive wall of dirt that moves across the land.

Want to know what 2021 said to 2020....hold my beer!

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