Snow that melts and then refreezes typically forms ice pellets, commonly called sleet. Key ideas:

• In the atmosphere, snowflakes can partially melt as they pass through a warm layer, then refreeze into small ice pellets before reaching the ground. These pellets are sleet.

• If snow melts completely into liquid rain in a shallow cold layer and then refreezes after hitting a surface, it forms freezing rain, which creates a glaze of ice on contact. This is different from sleet, which refreezes before ground contact.

If you were thinking of a crossword clue or a trivia answer, the common seven- letter answer is ICEDAMS, which is a playful term for the ice pellets formed when snow melts and refreezes.