You are here: Home / 2022 / February / 17 / Learned Something

Learned Something

Published on by

I learned something a year ago today!

It’s called graupel

Published on February 17, 2021 

The pink stuff south of Vicksburg

From that infallible source:

Under some atmospheric conditions, snow crystals may encounter supercooled water droplets. These droplets, which have a diameter of about 10 μm (0.00039 in), can exist in the liquid state at temperatures as low as −40 °C (−40 °F), far below the normal freezing point. Contact between a snow crystal and the supercooled droplets results in freezing of the liquid droplets onto the surface of the crystal. This process of crystal growth is known as accretion. Crystals that exhibit frozen droplets on their surfaces are often referred to as rimed. When this process continues so that the shape of the original snow crystal is no longer identifiable, the resulting crystal is referred to as graupel.[3] 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] [my emphasis]

Good grief. Does no one proof read anymore?

−40 °C (−40 °F)

Well there you go. Does no one THINK anymore?

-40/5 = -8 x 9 = -72 + 32 = -40. How about that!

Completely restores my faith in that infallible source.