Snow, sleet, freezing rain? Snow is where the the moisture begins in freezing temperatures and ice crystals are formed and falls as snow. Sleet is where a warm layer of moist air over rides a thicker layer of cold air. The moisture begins falling as rain, freezes on its way down, and hits the ground as ice pellets (thus the stinging). Freezing rain is when the cold air is a thin layer close to the ground. The moisture falls as rain and doesn't have time to freeze until it hits the cold surface. We had some of that in my part of Ohio Tuesday night. A perfect storm is when you have a little freezing rain which changes to sleet then a few inches of snow then changes back to freezing rain then a cold front comes through and drops the temp to 0 or below for a few days. We had that happen about a decade or so ago. About three inches of solid ice and it was too cold for salt to touch it. Life was a mess for a couple of weeks. I am actually looking foward to cold weather (ie highs in the teens and twenties). Here in Ohio this time of year when we range from the 30's to the 40's we are almost always cloudy. We have barely seen the sun since October. The colder air usually brings with it those crystal clear arctic skies and sunshine. I am tired of the constant dreariness.