<P> Ice pellets are a form of precipitation consisting of small , translucent balls of ice . Ice pellets are smaller than hailstones which form in thunderstorms rather than in winter , and are different from graupel ( `` soft hail '' ) which is made of frosty white rime , and from a mixture of rain and snow which is a slushy liquid or semisolid . Ice pellets often bounce when they hit the ground or other solid objects , and make a higher - pitched `` tap '' when striking objects like jackets , windshields , and dried leaves , compared to the dull splat of liquid raindrops . Pellets generally do not freeze into a solid mass unless mixed with freezing rain . The METAR code for ice pellets is PL ( PE before November 1998 ) . </P>
<P> Ice pellets are a form of precipitation consisting of small , translucent balls of ice . Ice pellets are smaller than hailstones which form in thunderstorms rather than in winter , and are different from graupel ( `` soft hail '' ) which is made of frosty white rime , and from a mixture of rain and snow which is a slushy liquid or semisolid . Ice pellets often bounce when they hit the ground or other solid objects , and make a higher - pitched `` tap '' when striking objects like jackets , windshields , and dried leaves , compared to the dull splat of liquid raindrops . Pellets generally do not freeze into a solid mass unless mixed with freezing rain . The METAR code for ice pellets is PL ( PE before November 1998 ) . </P>
what is the difference between hail and ice pellets
what is the difference between hail and ice pellets
Ice pellets are smaller
Ice pellets are smaller