Freezing Rain
What is freezing rain?
Freezing rain is precipitation that falls as liquid raindrops but freezes on contact with a surface (such as the ground or your aircraft) that is at or below freezing. It typically forms when warm, above-freezing air aloft melts falling precipitation, which then drops into a shallow layer of below-freezing air near the surface. If that cold layer is deep enough, the drops freeze before reaching the ground and arrive as ice pellets instead. Think of it as a temperature inversion warning sign: ice pellets at the surface mean freezing rain (and serious icing) likely exists above you.
Also known as: freezing drizzle, FZRA
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