What's the Difference Between Freezing Rain and Sleet?

It had been sleeting for several hours, but I still got together with a friend to hang out for a bit, because otherwise we wouldn't see each other for a while. Besides, it was just sleet, I said, not freezing rain, so the roads were no problem. He said, "They're the same thing, aren't they?"

 

Actually no, but that's a common misconception. Except for their both being precipitation that occurs during cold weather, they're actually almost completely opposite. Sleet is little teeny ice pellets that fall. You can both see and hear them bouncing off stuff, so sleet can be a bit noisy. If it's cold on the ground, the little pellets can accumulate and look a bit like snow, but usually they melt off, which is what had happened that day. Even though the air was cold enough for freezing precipitation, the ground was warm enough to melt it, so driving wasn't any more challenging than it normally would be during a cold rain.

Freezing rain, on the other hand, occurs under the reverse conditions. In this case, the air is warmer than the ground, so the precipitation falls as rain but freezes when it hits the cold surfaces. Ice can accumulate quickly, and it's slick, clear ice, which can cause big problems. If I had to choose, I'd much rather have sleet! 

 

Image from Pixabay https://pixabay.com/en/sleet-thunderstorm-hail-ice-153216/