Sleet occurs when snowflakes only partially melt when they fall through a shallow layer of warm air. These slushy drops refreeze as they next fall through a deep layer of freezing air above the surface, and eventually reach the ground as frozen rain drops that bounce on impact. Sleet Sleet is a type of solid precipitation that occurs during winter weather. Sleet has no internationally agreed definition but is reported in meteorological observations as a combination or mix of rain and snow. Sleet is tiny ice pellets formed when snow melts and refreezes in the air. Learn how sleet differs from freezing rain and hail, and see photos of sleet hitting trees and roads. Sleet is a form of wintry precipitation, but its exact definition depends on location. In some countries — for example, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia — the term refers to snow that has partially melted on its way to the ground.
