Rime ice forms when supercooled water droplets freeze onto surfaces. In the atmosphere, there are three basic types of rime ice:Soft rime forms when supercooled water freezes under calm wind conditions. It is milky and crystalline, like sugar, and similar to hoar frost. Hard rime forms by rapid freezing of supercooled water under at least moderate wind conditions. The droplets freeze more or less individually, leaving air gaps. Clear ice forms by slow freezing of supercooled water. Clear ice is typically transparent and homogeneous. Its amorphous and dense structure makes it adhesive.

Glaze or glaze ice, also called glazed frost or verglas, is a smooth, transparent and homogeneous ice coating occurring when freezing rain or drizzle hits a surface. It is similar in appearance to clear ice, which forms from supercooled water droplets. It is a relatively common occurrence in temperate climates in the winter when precipitation forms in warm air aloft and falls into below-freezing temperature at the surface.