The Fun Times Guide has yet another “roving reporter” that I’d like to introduce you to.
Meet Ron. He is currently in Montana, on the banks of the Clark Fork River between Butte and Missoula, working as a fly fishing guide.
Yesterday, Ron was groppled upon.
Hmmmm… Sounds like… FUN?!
I have to admit, I didn’t know what gropple was before this.
What Is Gropple?
Turns out, graupel is a light & fluffy form of precipitation similar to hail — as seen in these photos:
It kind of looks like bean bag pellets!
You know… those poly-fill beads that are used to fill pillows and beanbags.
In Ron’s Words…
“It groppled on us yesterday, but not for long.
It started coming down and I said something like, “It’s snowing… or sleeting… or snowsleet.”
And my friend said, “It’s gropple.”
I’d never heard of gropple but it’s like tiny fluffy hail stones. I had to look it up. One description I found said it was like snow without any arms or legs. That pretty much nails it.
The gropple turned to rain and left us muddy and mucky. It left the mountains white.”
Ron’s photos:
Thanks, Ron! I had no idea what “gropple” was either. I guess winter is just around the corner.
UPDATE: Ron is now a regular contributor for us on The Fun Times Guide to Fly Fishing site.
More About Gropple
Graupel forms when snow in the atmosphere encounters supercooled water. In a process known as accretion, ice crystals form instantly on the outside of the snow and accumulate until the original snowflake is no longer visible or distinguishable.
Source
As a homeowner, I primarily write about weather safety tips that everyone should know in order to protect their home and family during major weather events. I especially like to share seasonal "outside the box" ideas that most wouldn't think of in the Spring, Summer, Winter, and Fall. The weather events I've personally experienced include: Hurricanes (while living in Florida), Tornadoes (while living in Indiana, Texas, and Tennessee), Earthquakes (while visiting California), Blizzards (while living in New York and Indiana), and Flooding (while living in Tennessee).
