Weather: sleet vs freezing rain

Self-tutoring about weather: the tutor looks into the difference between sleet and freezing rain.

Both sleet and freezing rain result from liquid raindrops originating in a layer of warm air, then falling into a layer of cold. If they freeze solid before hitting ground, they’re sleet. Otherwise, if they’re still liquid when they hit the ground, but freeze shortly thereafter, it’s freezing rain.

Freezing rain is what coats everything with a thin layer of ice. It happened in the Maritimes when I lived there, maybe once or twice a year.

Source:

weather.gov