graupel

[ grou-puhl ]

noun

1. snow pellets.

graupel

/ ˈɡraʊpəl /

noun

1. soft hail or snow pellets

graupel

/ grou′pəl /

1. A small, white ice particle that falls as precipitation and breaks apart easily when it lands on a surface.
2. Also called snow pellet soft hail

Word History and Origins

Origin of graupel¹

1885–90; < German; diminutive of Graupe hulled grain

Word History and Origins

Origin of graupel¹

German, from Graupe, probably from Serbo-Croat krupa; related to Russian krupá peeled grain

Example Sentences

As showers shift south, high pressure is expected to build in the atmosphere above, creating conditions for potential lightning and graupel with the development of stronger showers in the afternoon, the weather service said.

From Seattle Times

Graupel, also known as snow pellets or soft hail, forms when water droplets freeze onto a snow crystal, according to the National Weather Service.

From Seattle Times

“And multiple showers will just follow to rain. We’ll only be concerned about maybe a few snowflakes and graupel, smaller than hail, during the nighttime overnight hours.”

From Seattle Times

Inside turbulent storm clouds, the collision of tiny ice crystals and graupel—a kind of soft, frozen precipitation—creates an electric field, known as the charging zone, where lightning is born.

From Scientific American

The negatively charged graupel are heavier, so they fall toward the bottom of the cloud.

From Scientific American

Related Words

• blizzard
• snowstorm