graupel

noun

1. (uncountable)A precipitation that forms when supercooled droplets of water condense on a snowflake.

   “Is it desirable in giving the falls of hail to draw a distinction between "graupel" and true hail?”

   “November.— […] Smart shower of graupel (i.e. frozen snow in pellets), with snow at 9 p.m. on 10th.”

   “In a paper in this month's Petermann's Mittheilungen Prof. H. Fritz treats of the Geographical Distribution of Hail. […] [B]alls of true hail hav[e] an icy structure, whereas the balls of graupel are only small pellets of snow. […] With increase in latitude and in height the fall of graupel increases and that of hail decreases, while hailstones of large size are most frequent towards the equator.”

   “The steam of the horses and their breath came back in turbid clouds, and the snow, or soft hail (now known as graupel), cut white streaks through them into travellers' eyes, and danced on the roof like lozenges.”

2. (countable)A small ball of rime resulting from this process.

   “It is established that graupels and hailstones are cone-shaped with rounded apexes and that they become egg-shaped as a result of growth during descent.”