Which of the following precipitation types is produced when supercooled water droplets freeze upon contact with solid objects whose temperatures are at or below freezing, forming a smooth, clear glaze of ice?

💡 Solution & Explanation

Freezing rain occurs when snowflakes melt as they pass through a warm layer of air, and then supercool in a shallow freezing layer near the surface, freezing instantly upon hitting sub-zero ground or structures. Sleet consists of frozen raindrops or ice pellets formed when melted snow refreezes before hitting the surface. Hailstones develop through intense updrafts within cumulonimbus clouds.