There is current interest in the effects of the melting layer on the propagation of electromagnetic waves, in the radar, remote sensing, and telecommunication communities. In this work a microphysical model of the melting layer is presented for the prediction of the electromagnetic behavior of this important region of the atmosphere. The model is anisotropic to be able to take into account the depolarization effects. The model is also tested against Doppler, dual-frequency measurements, and dual-polarization measurements collected by modern multiparameter radar systems. ¿ 1998 American Geophysical Union