How Does Sleet Form? — Reading Comprehension

Sleet is a type of frozen precipitation that falls to the ground as small ice pellets. It forms under special conditions in the atmosphere when both warm and cold air layers are present at different heights.

Sleet begins high in the clouds as snow. As the snowflakes fall, they may pass through a layer of warmer air that melts them into raindrops. Then, as the raindrops continue to fall, they enter a colder layer of air closer to the ground. In this cold air, the raindrops refreeze before reaching the surface, turning into tiny balls of ice—this is sleet.

Sleet is different from freezing rain. While both start the same way, freezing rain stays as liquid until it hits the ground, where it freezes on contact. Sleet, however, freezes in the air and lands as solid ice pellets.

Sleet can make roads and sidewalks slippery and dangerous. It often happens during winter storms when temperatures are right at or just below freezing.

Fun Fact: Sleet pellets bounce when they hit the ground because they are already frozen solid before landing!

What is sleet?

How does sleet begin?

What causes snowflakes to melt into raindrops?

What happens after the raindrops fall into a cold layer of air?

How is sleet different from freezing rain?

When is sleet most likely to occur?

What is the main idea of the passage?

Why do sleet pellets bounce when they land?