Thundersnow

Thundersnow, also known as a winter thunderstorm or a thunder snowstorm, is a thunderstorm with snow falling as the primary precipitation instead of rain. It commonly falls in regions of strong upward motion within the cold sector of extratropical cyclone, where the precipitation consists of ice pellets rather than snow.

How a Thundersnow forms.

Formation

There are usually four forms of thundersnow:

• A normal thunderstorm on the leading edge of a cold front or warm front that can either form in a winter environment or one that runs into cool air and where the precipitation takes the form of snow.
• A heavy synoptic snowstorm in the comma head of an extratropical cyclone that sustains strong vertical mixing which allows for favorable conditions for lightning and thunder to occur.
• A lake effect or ocean effect thunderstorm which is produced by cold air passing over relatively warm water; this effect commonly produces snow squalls over the Great Lakes.
• A cold front containing extremely cold air aloft, steepening lapse rates and causing strong vertical movement which allows for favorable conditions for lightning and thunder to occur

One unique aspect of thundersnow is that the snowfall acts as an acoustic suppressor of the thunder. The thunder from a typical thunderstorm can be heard many miles away, while the thunder from thundersnow can usually only be heard within a two to three mile radius from the lightning. In the United States, March is their peak month of formation, and on average, only 6.3 events are reported per year.

Thundersnow, while rare anywhere, is more common with lake effect snow in the Great Lakes area of the United States and Canada, the midwestern U.S., and the Great Salt Lake. Thundersnow also occurs in Halifax, Nova Scotia, sometimes several times per winter season. The British Isles and northwestern Europe sometimes report thunder and lightning during sleet or (usually wet) snow showers during winter and spring. It has also been reported around Kanazawa and the Sea of Japan, and even around Mount Everest during expeditions. When such storms happen at ski areas, these mountains are often evacuated for safety.

From lake effect precipitation

This type of thundersnow occurs after a cold front or shortwave aloft passes by, which steepens the lapse rates between the lake temperature and the temperatures aloft. A difference in temperature of 45°F (25°C) or more between the lake temperature and the temperature around 5000 feet/1500 meters (the 850 hPa level) usually marks the onset of thundersnow if surface temperatures are expected to be below freezing. However there are several factors affecting its development and other geographical elements. The primary factor is convective depth; this is the vertical depth in the troposphere that a parcel of air will rise from the ground before it reaches the equilibrium (EQL) level and stops rising. A minimum depth of 0.9 mi (2.5 km) is necessary and an average depth of 1.8 mi (3 km) or more is generally accepted as sufficient. Wind shear is also a significant factor, linear snow squall bands produce more thundersnow than clustered bands, thus a directional wind shear with a change of less than 54° between the ground and 1.2 mi (2 km) in height must be in place, any change in direction greater than 54° through that layer will tear the snow squall apart. A bare minimum fetch of 30 mi (50 km) is required in order for air passing over the lake or ocean water to sufficiently saturate with moisture and acquire thermal energy from the water. The last component is the echo top or storm top temperature, which must be at least −22°F (−30°C). It is generally accepted that there is no longer any super cooled water vapor present in a cloud at this temperature but rather ice crystals suspended in the air. This allows for the interaction of the ice cloud and graupel pellets within the storm to generate a charge and have lightning or thunder result.

From synoptic forcing

Synoptic snow storms tend to be large and complex with many possible locations and factors affecting the development of thundersnow. The best location in a storm to find thundersnow is typically on the northwest side, within what is known as the comma head of a mature extratropical cyclone. Thundersnow can also be located underneath the TROWAL, a trough of warm air aloft, which shows up in a surface weather analysis as an inverted trough extending backward into the cold sector from the main cyclone. In extreme cases, thunderstorms along the cold front are transported towards the center of the low pressure system and will have their precipitation change to snow or ice once the cold front becomes a portion of the occluded front. The Superstorm of 1993 and White Juan were such cases.

From upslope flow

Similar to the lake effect regime, thundersnow is usually witnessed in terrain in the cold sector of an extratropical cyclone when a shortwave aloft moves into the region. The shortwave will steepen the local lapse rates, allowing for a greater possibility of both heavy snow at elevations where it is near or below freezing, and occasionally thundersnow.

Examples

• On March 27, 2008, thundersnow was observed in the area of northern Indiana between South Bend and Gary; forecasters reported over 110 lightning strikes while parts of the Indiana Toll Road experienced whiteout blizzard conditions.
• In the Washington D.C. area during the February snow of 2010. The observed lightning presented a multi-spectrum of different colors as the lightning reflects throughout a snowstorm. The thunder also is unique. Instead of a typical "clap" and "roll" typical lightning exhibits, the thunder sounds like a large electrical arc or a blown transformer without the reverberation.
• Thundersnow was recorded across many parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland, The Republic of Ireland and North East England accompanying periods of heavy snowfall during November 2010.

See also

• Lake-effect snow
• Wind shear
• Snow
• Thunderstorm
• Lightning

External links

• What causes thundersnow?
• Straight Dope staff report: Why don't snowstorms produce lightning?
• Research on Convective Snow from University of Missouri

Links to individual events

• Thundersleet is rare weather feat, Lawrence Journal-World, Wednesday, January 24, 1996
• Sierra Nevada Mountain Thundersnow: 9-10 November 2000
• Central Victorian, Australia Thundersnow: 14 June 2001
• Boston, Massachusetts, USA Thundersnow: 9 December 2005
• Chester County Pennsylvania, USA Thundersnow: 25 January 2006
• Madison, Wisconsin, USA Thundersnow: 16 February 2006
• Aberdeen, Scotland Thundersnow: 3 March 2006
• Buffalo, NY, USA Thundersnow: 12-15 October 2006
• Columbia, Missouri, USA Thundersnow: 1 December 2006
• Video of Thundersnow in Moose Jaw, SK, Canada: 14 March 2007
• Topeka, KS, USA: 23 December 2007
• Denver, Colorado thundersnow 1 February, 2008 [1]
• Peoria, Illinois, USA Thundersnow: 3 February 2008
• King 5 News Seattle/Bellevue/Kirkland, Washington 18 December 2008
• Lightning Strike Amid Snowstorm in Kent, England: 1 February 2009