ThunderSnow

I was watching the weather channel keeping track of when our bad weather would be coming in on Feb 2, 2011 when I hear a loud Kaboom! It made me look up from my Squidoo. Jim Cantore was broadcasting the weather in Chicago and the loud Kaboom even scared him. I just had to see what it was all about because I had never heard of such a thing before. I thought he had made up a name for it. I will be showing you some videos of Thundersnow and giving more information via modules and links. Thundersnow is such an interesting subject.

Photo Source - Personal Photo - Copyrighted by GrandmaMarilyn DO NOT COPY or USE IT

Here is a definition from Wikipedia as to what Thundersnow is: "Thundersnow, also known as a winter thunderstorm or a thunder snowstorm, is a rare kind of thunderstorm with snow falling as the primary precipitation instead of rain."

According to Wikipedia, "there are usually four forms of thundersnow:

1) Normal thunderstorm - a thunderstorm that hits cool air and then snows instead of rains.

2) Heavy synoptic snowstorm - an extratropical cyclone (horizontal temperature differences outside the tropics) which makes conditions favorable for lightning and thunder to occur.

3) Lake effect or ocean effect thunderstorm - cold air passing over relatively warm water; which can produce snow squalls.

4) Cold front - which contains extremely cold air in the clouds, rapid decrease in temperature the higher you go and causing destablization allowing favorable conditions for lightning and thunder.

I think that the Thundersnow that Chicago had during this last terrible storm was of the third kind. I am happy that events like this can be filmed and put on video for us to see. I would probably never have heard of Thundersnow if I had not see the weather forecast.

To read more about Thundersnow according to Wikipedia, click on the link in the top paragraph

Photo credit: wikipedia, Public Domain

We are hearing about thundersnow more and more as people learn what it is.

This video was filmed outside of Boston during a snowstorm during the winter of 2005-2006. Even though the temperature is below freezing, there is thunder.

This is a video that Jim Cantore from TWC was filming December 1996. He was surprised when he heard the thunder of the thundersnow. You actually see him jump when he hears it.

If yes, PLEASE explain your experience for us.

Photo Source - Copyright to GrandmaMarilyn - ALL photos on this lens are personal photos - DO NOT COPY or USE THEM