RALEIGH, N.C. — Residents throughout the Triangle weren't seeing things Saturday -- sleet was really falling.

It was the first taste of winter weather -- and it was short and the pellets were small.

A WRAL photographer caught some of the small pellets on tape in Moore County. The sleet also fell near downtown Raleigh and other areas of the region.

The sleet happened -- even though it was 50 degrees outside at the surface -- because very dry air is just above the surface, while cold, wet air is higher in the atmosphere. Dew points near the surface were near 25 degrees.

The process that created the sleet is called "evaporative cooling," explained WRAL Meteorologist Kim Deaner.

No more winter weather was expected as temperatures were forecast to rise considerably on Sunday with highs near 65.