(SOUTHERN COLORADO) — Will it be snowy, rainy, a rain-snow mix, or sleet today? That’s a question a lot of Southern Coloradans ask as they know the weather seems to change on a whim. But what goes into determining what kind of precipitation we will get?

As meteorologists, we don’t necessarily think of what kind of precipitation we will get just by looking at a satellite and radar view. There’s more to it than just looking at a snapshot in the sky of a storm. Believe it or not, meteorologists think of weather more from the space between the ground to up where the airplanes fly.

When determining what kind of precipitation hits the ground, meteorologists look at a profile of temperatures in the atmosphere. In other words, meteorologists look at how much cold and warm air there is, where it is, and at what layers in the atmosphere. Where certain temperatures are in the atmosphere can tell forecasters a lot about what kind of precipitation will fall from the sky.

For example, in a winter scenario, if it snows high in the atmosphere and encounters a layer of warm air as it comes down, it will likely turn into rain. Alternatively, if it snows high up, then melts to rain further down, but then hits cold air just above the surface, the rain will freeze on contact and you will experience freezing rain. Another scenario has the rain hitting a shallower area of warm air and a deeper layer of cold air, turning it into sleet. Finally, if it hits all cold air, you will see it on the ground as snow.