Does freezing rain freeze immediatly or gradually?
The rate of freezing of freezing rain depends on two factors: The temperature of the drop upon contact with the surface and the temperature of the surface. Obviously if the drop is close to freezing and the surface is well below freezing, the drop will freeze pretty quickly. A warmer drop and/or surface will retard the freezing somewhat. In most cases the drops freeze within a few seconds upon contact. The rainfall intensity tend to be light as in most cases the instability of the atmosphere is not great enough to produce the required vertical motion to produce many large drops.
