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Freezing rain or sleet? Brief window of winter precipitation ahead

Last Updated 1 week by Amnon J. Jobi | Amnon Front Page

Freezing Rain Explainer

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — After a springlike start to the first week of February, Indiana gets a small dosage of winter precipitation on Wednesday.

A brief window of freezing rain will be possible for central Indiana on Wednesday afternoon before a transition to just regular rain.

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What is freezing rain?

Freezing rain is the type of precipitation that falls into a warm-than-freezing layer and becomes rain. Once it reaches the below-freezing surface, the rain will freeze on contact becoming ice.

A select few locations in northern Indiana will have the chance of seeing sleet on Wednesday. Sleet has a slightly different process of forming. Like freezing rain, snow falls into a warmer-than-freezing layer and melts. The warm layer isn’t as pronounced all the way down to the surface.

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Pellets of translucent ice will be the appearance of sleet at the surface. Freezing rain appears as normal rain until it hits the ground and freezes.

Wednesday’s system

Light freezing rain is expected in central Indiana at best. Less than 0.10″ usually means minimal impacts outside some slick spots developing. You can read more about the timing of the precipitation by visiting the Storm Track 8 weather blog.

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