Have you ever heard thunder while it was snowing?
Consider yourself lucky because you have witnessed a rather rare weather event!
NEW VIDEO!!!!
Crazy thunder snow currently over Sioux, Falls. Check this out!#SDwx pic.twitter.com/dn9qujghRf— WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) April 11, 2019
Thundersnow is just like a normal thunderstorm but with snow as the type of precipitation instead of rain!
Warm and moist air at the ground interacts with the colder air above, making the atmosphere unstable.
Ice crystals and water droplets high up in the clouds bump into each other, and with enough static charges, you will see lightning.
When you have strong enough convection with a “winter” storm system and ample amounts of moisture, this can result in thundersnow.
You've heard of thundersnow…how about thunder SLEET?! Check out the lightning flashing behind a layer of ice Thursday morning in Marshall, MN #mnwx pic.twitter.com/xiUanOSMS1
— WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) April 11, 2019
Sometimes you might not always hear the thunder but see a flash of lightning — this is because the snow can suppress the sound!
While it may be a cool phenomena to watch, thundersnow is just as dangerous as storms with rain so remember when thunder roars to head indoors.
For WeatherNation, I’m Meteorologist Meredith Garofalo