Winter Weather
Graupel Explained: Soft Hail, Snow Pellets, and Convective Showers
What graupel is, how it differs from hail and sleet, and why it often appears in showery cold-season weather.
Quick answer: Graupel forms when supercooled droplets freeze onto snowflakes, creating soft pellets that can look like tiny hail.
How it forms
Snowflakes fall through supercooled cloud droplets. Those droplets freeze onto the flakes, rounding them into small soft pellets.
Graupel often forms in convective showers where rising motion and cold air are strong.
Graupel vs sleet
Sleet is a refrozen raindrop. Graupel is a snowflake coated with frozen droplets.
Graupel usually crushes more easily than sleet and often looks white or opaque.
Why it matters
Graupel can briefly whiten roads, reduce traction, and surprise drivers.
It can also signal unstable cold air that supports bursts of snow, gusty wind, or lightning in some setups.