My frozen valentine: Can you guess each mystery contestant before they’re revealed?

Match each type of frozen precipitation with the correct ‘blind date’ bio

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Roses are red, violets are blue. We have a mystery for you to pursue. It’s a blind date quiz, we’d love your participation! Identify each contestant as frozen precipitation. We’ve had some fun, we hope you don’t mind, but, you know what they say — love is snowblind.
A pink border with hearts at the corner surrounds a graphic of a pink cloud raining heart emojis and question marks. Four squares next to it read: Contestant one, the unique beauty; Contestant two, the dynamic heartbreaker; Contestant three, the shy adventurer; Contestant four, the passionate dynamo.

Valentine's day Blind Date: Frozen precipitation edition. (Image credit: NOAA Office of Education)

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We’ve got * heart eyes * for frozen precipitation! There are many types of precipitation, all which form and change based on different atmospheric conditions. Precipitation is any form of water particle, whether liquid or solid, that falls from the atmosphere and reaches the ground.

This Valentine’s Day, don’t flake on us — join us for a little fun! Can you guess each type of frozen precipitation by reading these mysterious bios? Who would be your next hot — or, should we say, cold — date?

Today's contestants are:

A pile of irregular, semi-translucent ice spheres that appear larger than five millimeters. Some are smooth, others have a rough texture.

Hail 

A zoomed in close-up of a cluster of snow crystals. The crystals are each unique and look perfectly formed except where smaller fragments have loosely connected the flakes together.

Snow 

A close up of sleet on concrete. The sleet is made up of irregular translucent ice spheres that are of varying sizes, but all smaller than a few millimeters in diameter.

Sleet 

Appears to be irregular spheres of snow, each smaller than about five millimeters. The pellets look soft to the touch and below the top layer, they look to be melting into an icy slush.

Graupel

A graphic of a pastel pink cloud raining heart emojis and question marks. A box in the center reads “Contestant one. The unique beauty.”

Contestant one says:

I’m a natural beauty and pride myself on being unique, but I really shine when I’m in a group. I’m looking for someone who enjoys spending time and connecting with others. Are you up for nights out with friends?

Reveal the identity of contestant one!

Snow

Snow crystals form when all of the air between the cloud and the ground is below freezing. Crystals rarely stand alone. Instead, several snow crystals stick together, forming the familiar fluffy snowflakes we all love.

A zoomed in close-up of a cluster of snow crystals. The crystals are each unique and look perfectly formed except where smaller fragments have loosely connected the flakes together.
A graphic of a pastel yellow cloud raining heart emojis and question marks. A box in the center reads “Contestant two. The dynamic heartbreaker”

Contestant two says:

I’m dynamic and not afraid of change. In the past I’ve thawed my heart to someone who was fun for the moment, only to freeze them out when things go south. Are you my perfect match?

Reveal the identity of contestant two!

Sleet

Sleet forms when water drops freeze as they fall. Often, this happens when snow hits warmer air and melts as it falls and then encounters cold air and re-freezes before hitting the ground.

A close up of sleet on concrete. The sleet is made up of irregular translucent ice spheres that are of varying sizes, but all smaller than a few millimeters in diameter.
A graphic of a pastel blue cloud raining heart emojis and question marks. A box in the center reads “Contestant three. The shy adventurer.”

Contestant three says:

Though I look tough on the surface, I’m a softie at heart. I’m looking for a true partner, someone to introduce me to new things and help me get out of my comfort zone. Will you be my tour guide?

Reveal the identity of contestant three!

Graupel

Graupel are soft pellets, and quite fragile. Graupel forms when a water droplet is supercooled, or at a temperature below its freezing point, and then freeze onto a snow crystal.

Appears to be irregular spheres of snow, each smaller than about five millimeters. The pellets look soft to the touch and below the top layer, they look to be melting into an icy slush.
A graphic of a pastel green cloud raining heart emojis and question marks. A box in the center reads “Contestant four. The passionate dynamo.”

Contestant four says:

I'm intense, passionate, and driven. I've been around the block a few times, and each new experience has helped me grow. Now I'm looking for someone who can help me truly make an impact.

Reveal the identity of contestant four!

Hail

Hail is made of balls of ice that form in thunderstorm clouds and can range in size. Hail pellets grow as more water droplets freeze onto them as they circulate in the cloud. They stay frozen as they fall.

A pile of irregular, semi-translucent ice spheres that appear larger than five millimeters. Some are smooth, others have a rough texture.

Thanks for joining in on our Valentine’s Day fun! Learn more about frozen precipitation.

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