Mother Nature delivered cold temperatures, rain ... Oxnard and brought hail to Ventura. Mattie Richardson captured a photo of Salzer’s Records, where the hail resembled snow.

Winter storms can bring all sorts of precipitation: snow, sleet, hail, freezing rain or even plain old rain. Why so much variety? The answer involves temperature changes as the precipitation falls.

Snow typically falls as light, fluffy flakes when the air is dry, but wet, heavy snow occurs when moisture levels are higher. Sleet, often mistaken for small hail, forms when snowflakes partially ...