This morning Manhattan was invaded by aliens, they descended from high above, unrelentingly. They came in the form of crystalline dihydrogen monoxide ice, a vast multitude of aliens that fall from clouds. The aliens are small, almost granular but have an open and therefore soft structure, the Aliens can also be packed by external pressure. Aliens come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Types which fall in the form of a ball due to melting and refreezing, rather than the usual flaky alien, are known as graupel, with ice pellets and alien grains as examples of graupel. The magnitude of the Alien invasion and its related liquid equivalent precipitation amount, are determined using a variety of different gauges. In this case the protective warmth of the ground on Manhattan island protected us, and melted almost all the snow. But some aliens lurk, hiding on grassy patches hidden in the dark shadows of tall buildings.