Which of the following is true regarding the weather phenomenon indicated by ice pellets?

Ice pellets, also known as sleet, form during specific meteorological conditions that typically involve a temperature inversion. This means that there is a layer of warm air aloft above a layer of colder air at the surface. As precipitation falls from the warmer air, it becomes rain. However, as it descends into the colder layer, it freezes into pellets of ice before reaching the ground.

Therefore, the presence of ice pellets indeed suggests that there is warmer rain above the colder surface layer. This situation is a clear indicator of a particular atmospheric profile where warm air overrides colder air, which is essential for the formation of ice pellets.

Understanding this helps pilots and meteorologists interpret weather patterns more accurately, allowing for better planning and safety in flight operations. The likelihood of ice pellets forming under such conditions excludes the possibility of options that suggest warmer temperatures without context, stable weather systems based solely on its presence, or that this phenomenon is restricted to tropical climates, which is inaccurate as it can occur in temperate regions too.