Thundersnow

winter weather · rare storms · snow · lightning

Thunder in the snow. Thundersnow happens when a thunderstorm forms during winter and snow becomes the main precipitation falling instead of rain. It is considered quite rare and happens in specific cold regions with strong upward air movement.

Muffled thunder sound. The heavy snow falling during thundersnow actually muffles the thunder, so instead of hearing a loud sharp bang like in regular thunderstorms, you hear more of a low rumble.

Clouds stay low. The cumulonimbus clouds that create thundersnow usually don't reach as high into the sky as regular thunderstorm clouds, even though the storm itself works the same way.

Cold sector weather. Thundersnow typically forms in the cold sector of a large rotating storm system called an extratropical cyclone, where there is strong upward motion of air.

More than just snow. During thundersnow, graupel (soft snow pellets) or hail may fall along with the snow, creating a mix of different types of frozen precipitation.