Frozen forms of precipitation include snow, ice crystals, ice pellets (sleet), hail, and graupel. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. Snowflakes encapsulated in rime form balls known as graupel. Frozen forms of precipitation include snow, ice needles, ice pellets, hail, and graupel. Graupel and hail are good indicators of convective precipitation and thunderstorms. Graupel is distinct from hail and ice pellets. The term "graupel" is the German language word for sleet. Convectional precipitation, typically thunderstorms, often forms rapidly and frequently includes graupel or hail. Hail is common in thunderstorms, while graupel typically falls in winter storms. Graupel was formerly referred to by meteorologists as soft hail. Graupel is found mostly in regions of weak updrafts. Some disdrometers can distinguish between rain, graupel, and hail. In addition to snow, graupel or hail may fall as well. Macroscopically, graupel resembles small beads of polystyrene. It is though that many historical reports of "snowfall" were likely also Graupel.