MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — What an interesting first day of spring! The temperatures did not get to freezing this morning yet wintry precipitation was observed in the Pee Dee and along the border belt. Reports this morning included graupel and sleet.

Sometimes confused with hail, graupel, and sleet are a little different. Firstly, hail is only associated with strong thunderstorms and severe weather whereas graupel and sleet are wintry precipitation. Grapuel is basically an icy snowflake. Snowflakes are beautiful and symmetrical and as they fall they sometimes interact with supercooled water which makes the snowflakes clumpy and disproportional. Sleet is something that also starts as snow, but sleet is melted snow that refreezes before hitting the surface. Both sleet and graupel as sometimes described as snow pellets or even the sweet ice cream dessert Dippin’ Dots.

Freeze warnings are in effect again tonight. The mid-30s are forecasted at the coast and 30-33 degrees in the Pee Dee and border-belt. The main difference between tonight and last night is that the skies will be clear tonight meaning it should get colder due to radiational cooling.

High temperatures tomorrow will be warmer, but still 3-5 degrees below average. Expect 60 degrees near the coast and mid-60s inland.

Partly cloudy Tuesday night, and not a freeze! Mostly cloudy on Wednesday with a couple of stray showers inland, but Wednesday is the first spring day with normal temperatures. Low-70s inland and upper-60s at the beaches.

The Pee Dee will be in the 80s to finish out the workweek and the beaches will be in the mid to upper-70s. Friday is the day to watch in the Pee Dee where a record-high temperature is possible in Florence.