Graupel did fall in most areas, especially in Central Phoenix...however, like VLJ wrote, it did snow in parts of metro Phoenix today. Either way, it was icy and cold white stuff on the ground. The picture of Salt River Fields and the mountains around town are of real snow cover.
FYI: graupel (a.k.a. soft hail and snow pellets) is formed when small, supercooled droplets of water collect on, and freeze to a snowflake. From Wikipedia:
Graupel (german pronounciation: ['gʁaʊpɛl], also called soft hail or snow pellets)[1] refers to precipitation that forms when supercooled droplets of water are collected and freeze on a falling snowflake, forming a 2–5 mm (0.079–0.197 in) ball of rime. Strictly speaking, graupel is not the same as hail or ice pellets, although it is sometimes referred to as small hail. However, the World Meteorological Organization defines small hail as snow pellets encapsulated by ice, a precipitation halfway between graupel and hail.[2]
Last edited by phxSUNSfan; Feb 21, 2013 at 1:59 AM.
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