snow pellets

American  

[snoh pel-its] / ˈsnoʊ ˌpɛl ɪts /

plural noun

1. precipitation, usually of brief duration, consisting of crisp, white, opaque ice particles, round or conical in shape and about two to five millimeters in diameter.

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Etymology

Origin of snow pellets

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

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 • Apr. 30, 2024

Graupel is also called snow pellets or soft hail, as the graupel particles are particularly fragile and generally disintegrate when handled.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2023

The sky began to spit little snow pellets.

From The New Yorker • Apr. 13, 2015

"But," said Masterton, as the wind volleyed the sharp snow pellets in their faces and the leaders were scarcely distinguishable through the smoke-like discharges, "it can't be worse than here."

From From Sand Hill to Pine by Harte, Bret

The wind howled around the block-house and rattled the flag-staff, and the snow pellets sounded on the window-panes, giving that sense of warm comfort within that comes only with the storm.

From Castle Nowhere by Woolson, Constance Fenimore