Rain and snow mixed to refer to ice pellets. This precipitation occurs when the temperature in the lowest part of the atmosphere is slightly above the freezing point of water The depth of low-level warm air (below the freezing level) needed to melt snow falling from above to rain varies from about and depends on the mass of the flakes and the lapse rate of the melting layer. Rain and snow typically mix when the melting layer depth falls between these values. Wintry showers is a somewhat informal meteorological term, used primarily in the United Kingdom, to refer to various mixtures of rain, graupel
Wilkes County, North Carolina spring and summer months; and rain, snow, sleet, and freezing rain all occur at times during the winter, with the frequency increasing with the altitude. Severe weather is not common in Wilkes but does occur. Tornadoes are rare, but severe thunderstorms can bring strong winds which can down trees and power lines, as well as cause hail. In October 2017, a rare EF 1 tornado touched down in the towns of Wilkesboro and North Wilkesboro, and then moved through the Mulberry, Fairplains, and Hays communities, causing significant damage. Wilkes County is far enough inland that hurricanes rarely cause problems, but