It’s Springtime: The Season of… Snain?

4/29/2022 (Permalink)

It sounds a little like something out of a Dr. Seuss book, but “snain” is actually a real, albeit unofficial weather term, and one that you’ve likely experienced, especially in New England. 

More commonly referred to as sleet, this mix of rain and snow is often observed during the colder winter months, and, coupled with high winds, can be the culprit behind storm damage leading to slippery roads and downed trees or power lines. 

So, while you won’t necessarily encounter snain in the spring, you might find yourself grappling with graupel. 

In fact, several sites across New England reported the sudden appearance of graupel on Easter Sunday. 

Described as soft hail or snow pellets, graupel is “not uncommon in the spring when there’s cold air aloft and warmer air towards the ground.” 

Commonly confused with hail, you can easily get a grip (quite literally) on the difference between graupel vs. hail. If the graupel pellet easily crumbles in your hand, that’s your first clue that you’re holding graupel and not hail. 

An even better description for graupel comes from a Maine-based radio station, which reported “Easter Sunday saw Dippin’ Dots Falling from the Skies in Maine, Sorta.”

While graupel isn’t tough enough to pack a punch that results in storm damage, your 

SERVPRO servicepro team of Haverhill / Newburyport is always standing by for any other spring storm remediation you might need, following heavy rains or high winds.