Experienced Iowa Weather Phenomenon Known As "Thunder Snow" Tonight

[SHOWSOMECLASS]

Greetings from central Iowa.
We are experiencing "Thunder Snow" tonight. The temperature is 36 degrees. Occasionally you will hear thunder when it snows but rarely lightning.
Tonight we have both thunder and lightning along w/ big fluffy snowflakes. :eusa_clap
As I recall this is the most pronounced example of this phenomenon I can ever remember. Some parts of the state may get 8 inches or more if the forecast are accurate. Included is a scientific explanation of "Thunder Snow"


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

 

[HoosierDaddy]

The last two or three years we have had that same occurrence at times here in Indiana during a snow storm. I don't remember ever hearing thunder with snow before.
HD

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

I heard it a few times when I lived by the shore of Lake Erie. Freaked me out the first time as I had never heard it in over 30 years of living there.

 

[sheeplady]

We have these here sometimes with the lake effect snow. Kind of neat. Typically we get less snow with these types of storms compared to "traditional" lake effect (we'll sometimes get 2-3 feet with lake effect, places closer to the lake will sometimes get twice that in 24 hours).

We're tying the third longest time span without snow in my city since they've started recording it over a hundred years ago. We're supposed to get something on Friday, but not much.

 

[SHOWSOMECLASS]

Currently, Iowa and most of the Midwest has had a extremely dry spring and summer. So any and all precip. is welcome.
That said, while I have seen and heard lightning/thunder here while snow is falling. This is a whole different category. It is much more frequent and pronounced than any of our family has ever experienced.

 

[kiwilrdg]

We're tying the third longest time span without snow in my city since they've started recording it over a hundred years ago. We're supposed to get something on Friday, but not much.

Enjoy it while it lasts, unless you are in the sled or ski business.

 

[sheeplady]

Enjoy it while it lasts, unless you are in the sled or ski business.

You don't live up here unless you enjoy the snow... most of the U.S. you can live in warmer/ less snow climates. If no snow (or less snow) is your thing, you move south. (I love snowy winters so I've stayed.) It can get trying at times, especially freak events like ice storms and losing power for days, but that's no different than dealing with the freak weather events anyplace in the country you live. I'll take 4-5 months of snow over hurricanes or tornadoes, I like the fluffy white stuff...

We had a near snow-less winter last year, and boy was it dreary. 2010/2011 we had at least five feet of snow on the ground from December 8th until late March (with no significant melts) with significant snowfalls starting in early Novemeber. I'd like it if the two were averaged.... but I'll take a hard winter once in a while for mostly white winters.

 

[kiwilrdg]

(I love snowy winters so I've stayed.) ...I like the fluffy white stuff...

You do live in the right place. In 2010/2011 my parents (who live in Lewis County) had to use the upstairs windows as doors a couple of times.

I think the summer and fall is what makes the winter worthwhile up there. If there were more jobs and less property tax I would be living up there now.

 

[MPicciotto]

I've experienced Thundersnow or Convection several times. But if the flashes lean toward the blue spectrum that would be electrical transformers blowing as the heavy wet snow topples trees onto the powerlines...

Matt

 

[sheeplady]

You do live in the right place. In 2010/2011 my parents (who live in Lewis County) had to use the upstairs windows as doors a couple of times.

I think the summer and fall is what makes the winter worthwhile up there. If there were more jobs and less property tax I would be living up there now.

Oh, god, that winter was bad, especially further up north (like Lewis County). I grew up in northern Oneida County (near Herkimer County- up on the tug hill plateau like your parents) and my parents still live up there. There was a winter in the early 2000s when I went to visit them and that spring they had to restring the cable lines on their road- the snow piled up so high on the sides of the roads that it covered the lines and pulled them down when it melted. When I was there, I had to climb over the lines (aka snowbank) to get to one of their sheds.

Apparently, according to my parents (who are in their late 60s) they used to get winters like that all the time when they were young- every winter. I like to say you can tell it's a real winter when they bring out the state snowblowers on the roads.... I've only seen it a couple of times in my life, but when they have those out you know it's been a bad winter.

For some strange reason, it seems they don't keep the roads as well as when I was younger. I don't know if it is under-staffing or the stuff they use on the roads has changed, but I never remember the roads not being clean (even when it was really bad) when I was young within a few hours- even the back roads. (Of course, in the morning it was more difficult, and if it was actively falling, but they tried to keep up with it.) Now it seems we get 8 inches and it sets there the whole day if not two days even on major routes.

I could never live someplace without 4 seasons. The snow is lovely- it gets tiring come March and late Feb, but then you have such a gorgeous spring.

 

[Fletch]

Gee, I miss everything. I was in Ames when Minneapolis got plastered. Now I'm in Mpls and failing to get plastered again.

 

[DiverAdam]

I had friend that told me they saw lightening with the snow this morning, I must have missed it. Last winter we did have areal good "Thunder Snow" with thunder that was actually quite loud.

 

[Brian Niebuhr]

I live in east central Iowa, I saw and heard this last night a few times. At first I thought my outside back light burst or something. Then I heard the thunder. Pretty cool!