What is the difference between snow and freezing rain?

Do you know the difference between snow and freezing rain?

During this week – and probably in the coming weeks – the cold and phenomena involving low temperatures have been on the rise here in Brazil.

This is because, despite the proximity of winter – which begins on June 21st – an atypical cold has been taking over a good part of the states of Brazil.

With the exception of states in the North and Northeast of the country, most of the rest of the country is having to deal with the cold even before the start of winter.

And this unseasonal cold was so bad that in some places in the south of Brazil it even snowed! How crazy, right?

And it was the presence of snow in certain parts of the country – and, in a way, all this atypical cold – that gave us the idea of creating this material.

After all, when it comes to these types of meteorological phenomena, many people may end up confusing two types of events: snow and freezing rain.

But is there really any similarity between the two? What are the differences between snow and freezing rain?

That's what we're going to discover throughout this content! 

Here, you will learn a little more about the characteristics of each of them and understand the differences between them.

So get your coat ready because today's topic is really cold! 

Before we understand the difference between snow and freezing rain, how about we understand the reason for all this cold?

Since the first half of May, newspapers have been announcing that the end of May would hold the coldest days of the year for Brazilians so far.

But what could be the reason for this unusual cold, given that the weather in the weeks leading up to the official arrival of winter is generally milder?

It turns out that Brazil is experiencing two meteorological phenomena at the same time. And both are contributing to this unusual cold weather.

Basically, the low temperatures are being caused by a displacement of a polar air mass.

This mass – which is coming from Antarctica – arrived here with everything, leaving regions such as the Central West, Southeast and South with temperatures below 10°C.

And in addition to this phenomenon, the south of our continent and, consequently, the southern region of the country, is experiencing an extratropical cyclone.

This means that, in addition to the cold, the southern region will also suffer from winds above 100 km/h and heavy rain.

And these two factors are the main causes of all this 'cold weather' we are facing.

What is the difference between snow and freezing rain?

Now that we know what is causing all this cold weather, it is time to better understand the difference between snow and rain.

What is snow?

I think everyone here has wanted – at some point in their lives – to see snow, right?

Because it is a phenomenon so distant from us, it is normal for us to have this type of desire.

As everyone knows, snow – quite common in countries in the northern hemisphere of our planet – is a phenomenon that is directly related to the cold.

Its formation happens more or less in the following way: the clouds are, naturally, very cold and these crystals are found inside them. 

And these ice crystals are formed by the freezing of water vapor that is suspended in the atmosphere.

In this case, if the temperature of the atmosphere is also low – something below 0°C – and humid, the environment is in the perfect condition for the ice flake to fall from the clouds without melting.

In this way, this snowflake maintains its structure throughout the fall until the moment it touches the ground.

This explains why there is no snow here in Brazil – with the exception of some points in the south of the country. 

What is freezing rain?

Freezing rain is a phenomenon that, unlike snow, can be seen more frequently here in Brazil.

Although they are different, freezing rain is a phenomenon that can easily be confused with snow. 

In this case, freezing rain occurs in cases where a liquid layer forms around the snowflake.

This type of situation can easily occur and still keep the center of the snowflake frozen. 

When it touches a surface with a temperature close to or equal to the freezing temperature, the water freezes again completely.

And when it comes to the difference between snow and freezing rain, the first difference is that freezing rain forms outside the cloud.

When the snow falls from the cloud and passes through an atmosphere that is slightly warmer – something a little above 0°C – and then passes through a layer of cold air again, its inner part becomes more 'liquid' in consistency, while the outer layer remains frozen.

Therefore, weather conditions directly affect this factor. 

When they are not cold enough, they do not allow this flake of ice to remain in the snow state while it falls, but they are not warm enough to transform this ice crystal into the rain that we know. 

Conclusion

So, did you already know about freezing rain and the difference between this type of phenomenon and snow?

If the temperature in some parts of Brazil – mainly in southern cities – remains low in the coming days, the chances of freezing rain – and even snow – increase significantly.

In fact, in cities such as São Joaquim, São José dos Ausentes and Gambará do Sul, freezing rain has already appeared in recent days.

In other words: it is very likely that this phenomenon could appear here again. 

Now we just have to wait and see the next effects of the combination of the passage of the extratropical cyclone + the polar mass that is passing through here, both in the southern region and in the rest of the country.

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