ever heard of Thundersnow?

[gh]

Friend of mine in Seattle says that twice this winter there has been a thunderstorm while it's snowing. I believed him, but had never heard of such a thing. Our friends at Wiki confirm its (rare) existence:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thundersnow

[mcgato]

I've been in thundersnow at least two times, once in Minnesota and once in New Jersey. It takes a very strong storm at just under freezing. Kind of weird to see lightning during a snowstorm though.

[BillVol]

Heard the term a couple weeks ago on Weather Channel. Before then, never.

[lonewolf]

I have experienced this. In Seattle and Colorado.

[guru]

Not all that uncommon in the midwest.

We have some odd things occur here. For me, snow rollers top the list.

[Daisy]

Madison, Wisconsin had one this year.

[Marlow]

For me, snow rollers top the list.

Saw a lot of that in Connecticut growing up - and snow devils - mini snow tornadoes, like dust devils. But my favorite winter sight was when the birches would get glazed in ice after a freezing rain, and then the next day the wind woould bend the birches and all the glazed ice would fall to the ground in little pieces and look like a treasure trove of diamonds!

[Dietmar239]

We see thundersnows in the Northeast when they are usually associated with Nor'easters. The low pressure is so strong at times it's almost like the atmosphere can't decide what it wants to do. You end up seeing lightning and hear cracks of thunder along with heavy bands of snow.

[Brian]

Re: ever heard of Thundersnow?

Friend of mine in Seattle says that twice this winter there has been a thunderstorm while it's snowing. I believed him, but had never heard of such a thing. Our friends at Wiki confirm its (rare) existence:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thundersnow

We in Minnesota pretty much call anything colored white coming down during a rainstorm "freezing drizzle." It usually melts upon contact with the ground.


Thundersnow...sounds like some pro wrestler in the Alaskan circuit.

[Conor Dary]

I have seen it here in Chicago. But the biggest version I remember was in Boulder back in 82. It was in the 70's during the day, a big cold front moved in with a snowstorm and a huge thunderstorm.

PS. The other extreme weather that year in Boulder was a chinook that measured 140 miles an hour. I thought our apartment was going to fall down.

[Brian]

I have seen it here in Chicago. But the biggest version I remember was in Boulder back in 82. It was in the 70's during the day, a big cold front moved in with a snowstorm and a huge thunderstorm.

PS. The other extreme weather that year in Boulder was a chinook that measured 140 miles an hour. I thought our apartment was going to fall down.

The winds coming down to the city through Boulder Canyon do amazingly weird things. I remember standing on a city street one time in full sunlight, perfectly dry, watching it rain like a bathroom shower on steroids just across the street.

[DrJay]

We are having thundersnow today.

[mcgato]

Re: ever heard of Thundersnow?

Got thundersnow in the NYC area tonight. Twice I have seen flashes of light followed by thunder. Kind of nasty out there.

[KevinM]

Re: ever heard of Thundersnow?

Kind of nasty out there.

Putting it mildly. Possibly nastiest winter night I've experienced, both in the midwest or NE.