When rain formed in relatively warm air falls through a layer of freezing air, what occurs?

When rain that forms in warmer air falls through a layer of freezing air, it undergoes a process that results in the formation of sleet. Sleet occurs when the raindrops experience a temperature drop as they descend, causing them to freeze into small ice pellets before hitting the ground. This phenomenon often happens when there is a significant difference in temperature between the warmer air above and the freezing air layer below.

Sleet is distinct from snow, which forms directly from the cloud in a cold environment, and from hail, which is created during thunderstorms with strong updrafts that allow for layers of freezing and thawing. Understanding this process is essential, as it highlights the interactions between temperature layers in the atmosphere and the resulting weather phenomena.