Yesterday, you may have noticed an Easter surprise from the skies. Facebook was lit up with exclamations of short-lived snow showers yesterday that quite people by surprise. But, there was something interesting about this snow that may have you realizing how complex snow can really be.

Easter's Graupel Appearance In New England


Some witnessed it come down and not stick around on the ground for too long, others saw it clump up on the ground and were able to investigate the specialty of this unusual precipitation.

What exactly is graupel?

Well, it's not snow and it's not hail. It's sort of a mix of both. The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration defines it as the following: soft, small pellets formed when supercooled water droplets (at a temperature below 32°F) freeze onto a snow crystal, a process called riming. If the riming is particularly intense, the rimed snow crystal can grow to an appreciable size, but remain less than 0.2 inches. Graupel is also called snow pellets or soft hail, as the graupel particles are particularly fragile and generally disintegrate when handled.

Graupel looks awfully familiar...

Right?!

I almost want to eat it....

So, as we progress through April, we may get to witness this special kind of snow again but, don't expect it to last too long on the ground. Some (like me) are pretty grateful for that right now even though it seems like it could be pretty tasty to eat.

20 of the Scariest Maine Animals to be Watching you from the Outside

A local raccoon became quite the celebrity the other day when he peaked into a home in Cutler, Maine.

The image was more cute and comedic than anything. However, it did inspire this list of the 20 scariest animals a Mainer would not want to see peaking into their house.

Warning, this list is quite frightening.

My Top-Secret Tips for Spring Cleaning Your Dirty Maine Home

Spring is here and so the time has come when we can no longer ignore the smell in our fridge and the dust on our ceilings. Here are my not-so-secret tips and tricks on cleaning your Maine home this season!

LOOK: The most expensive weather and climate disasters in recent decades

Stacker ranked the most expensive climate disasters by the billions since 1980 by the total cost of all damages, adjusted for inflation, based on 2021 data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The list starts with Hurricane Sally, which caused $7.3 billion in damages in 2020, and ends with a devastating 2005 hurricane that caused $170 billion in damage and killed at least 1,833 people. Keep reading to discover the 50 of the most expensive climate disasters in recent decades in the U.S.

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