Final answer:
Freezing rain is a type of precipitation that occurs when rain falls through a sub-freezing layer of air near the ground and freezes upon contact with cold surfaces.
Step-by-step explanation:
Freezing rain is a type of precipitation that occurs when rain falls through a layer of sub-freezing air near the earth's surface and freezes upon contact with surfaces that are at freezing temperatures.
This creates a glaze of ice. Specifically, freezing rain is rain that freezes on contact with a collecting surface that is below freezing. It starts as snow, melts into rain in a warmer layer above the ground, and then freezes upon contact with cold surfaces as it reaches those near the ground.