What type of precipitation freezes in the upper atmosphere?

All forms of precipitation—rain, drizzle, snow grains, hail, snow, freezing drizzle, ice pellets, snow pellets, and freezing rain—come from the freezing of water vapor in the upper atmosphere, which descends to the earth as snow flakes. Because these hexagonal crystals are less dense and have more air resistance than raindrops, they fall to the earth more gently than other forms of precipitation, such as rain, ice pellets, or hail.

It's interesting to note that occasionally, when the temperature near the ground is above freezing, it will snow. This is because, in the upper atmosphere, where the temperature is lower, water vapor freezes into crystals. It's breathtaking to watch the snowflakes melt just a few inches above the ground.

The type of precipitation that freezes in the upper atmosphere is called "ice crystals" or "ice pellets." These form when supercooled water droplets freeze upon contact with atmospheric particles or when water vapor directly solidifies into ice crystals without passing through the liquid phase.