Sleet Means Different Things in Britain and America
Sleet is a wintry mix falling from the sky. The two countries disagree about exactly what it is.
Sleet is precipitation that is part rain, part frozen. The two countries define it differently and forecasters have to be careful: in Britain sleet is a mixture of rain and partly melted snow falling together, while in the United States it means ice pellets — raindrops that froze on the way down. A British sleety day and an American sleety day look nothing alike. *Hail* is different again: it forms in thunderstorm updraughts and can fall in summer.
- Rain mixed with snow (UK). *Sleet and rain.*
- Ice pellets (US). *Sleet on the road.*
- Hail — thunderstorm ice. *Hailstones.*
- Freezing rain — freezes on contact. *Freezing rain.*
- Middle English — *slete*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | sleet | Sleet. |
| Verb | sleet | It sleeted. |
| Adjective | sleety | Sleety. |
| Related | hail | Hail. |
| Related | slush | Slush. |
- Sleet turned to snow by evening.Weather.
- The American sense is ice pellets.Usage.
- Hail forms in summer storms.Contrast.
Kinds of frozen precipitation
- Snow — ice crystals falling as flakes
- Sleet (UK) — rain and partly melted snow together
- Sleet (US) — raindrops refrozen into ice pellets
- Freezing rain — liquid that freezes on contact with surfaces
- Hail — layered ice formed in thunderstorm updraughts
Middle English *slete*, of Germanic origin, related to German dialect *Schlosse*, hailstone.
Does sleet mean the same in Britain and America?
No. British sleet is rain mixed with melting snow; American sleet is ice pellets formed from refrozen raindrops.
What is freezing rain?
Rain that stays liquid as it falls but freezes on contact with cold surfaces, producing a coating of ice.