What is sleet?

Sleet is a form of precipitation consisting of frozen or partly frozen rain, usually accompanied by snow or rain. Particles of sleet are formed in cold weather when raindrops enter an area of very cold air and become supercooled, i.e., cooled below their freezing point without freezing. The drops freeze suddenly when they come in contact with solid objects, such as particles of dust, and form a shower of small, round, white pellets of ice. When the drops fall on larger objects, such as telephone wires or tree branches, they form a coating of ice.

Sleet