Can it Thunder

[skipper]

I no how thunderstorms are formed but just woundering if it Can Thunder and Lighting when its snowing in winter or is it mainly in summer when its been hot in the the day?. Ive never seen it yet though not in uk any way.

cheeres.

[Cookie]

it can thunder when its snowing. I rember last winter we got some very bad lighting whilst I was out in town haveing a meal the lights dipped dramtically.

it was very loud to.

Edited January 12, 2007 by cookie

[Louby]

Yes, a few years ago we had a huge crack of thunder and lightning and then blizzard conditions for the next hour. Really eerie but cool all the same

[SP1986]

Thunderstorms and snow, or thundersnow, have been fairly common in the last last 6 years so it can happen.

[johnholmes]

yes it can thunder in winter although its much more unusual than in the summer months.

Its complicated but have a look at the various teaching guides we have.

In a nutshell you need heat from below, in MOST cases, which is why its more frequent in the summer months.

hope that helps but do read the guides including the one on skew-t's.

John

[Mad Murdoch]

its called thundersnow

i have experineced it many times.

last feb was a good example.

[Thundery wintry showers]

The most common way you get thundersnow in this country is when cold air is flowing over warm seas, generating instability due to the contrast in temperature between the lower and upper layers of the atmosphere, generating towering cumulonimbus clouds.

Northerly outbreaks are sometimes associated with thundersnows near the east coast, especially in late autumn and early winter, while easterly and north-easterly winds, if associated with an unstable airmass, can also produce thundersnow events. In Cleadon I witnessed thundersnow on 29 December 2000 and 22 December 2003, both from northerlies. Returning Arctic air from the west and north-west can also bring thundersnow events quite a way inland from the west; a good relatively recent example was in March 1995 when there were 4 thunderdays in Manchester.

Thundersnows can occur more widely across Britain in association with polar lows, where embedded thunderstorms are sent inland, or by dramatic frontal clearances with cold air undercutting warmer air as happened on 28 January 2004.

In spring, surface heating from the sun can generate homegrown showers, which in a sufficiently cold airstream can produce thundersnow.

[Supercell]

28 January 2004.

30-40 minutes of thundery, wintry brilliance that took me by complete surprise. My greatest weather experience. Nothing has come close in recent years.

[Paul Sherman]

Yes as others have said it most definately can Thunder during Snow. Sbow showers are essentially Cumulonimbus clouds after all. The Thundersnow events have become more prolific in the last few years, January 2004 was a cracker for many parts of England from the Midlands Southwards, but in the last 2 winters I have also witnessed Thunder and Lightning during Heavy Snow showers, quite a lot of Thundersnow events are also found around our coasts.

Paul Sherman

[MP-R]

One year, I can't remember which, I think it was 2003 had more thunder days in winter than in summer. Another thunder-snow event I have witnessed, although not quite as impressive as 28th Jan 2004 was on 25th Nov 2005. Heavy snow showers and thunder.

[Lenticular]

Just to add to the yes it definitely can camp.

Driving from Halsted to Sudbury to see friends in march 1997 or 98 and a heavy snow shower had been going for about 3/4 hr driving along and the headlights were getting covered with snow, stopped, got out cleaned one head light off, moved to the curb side to clean the other, at that point a bolt of lighting hit the tree in the filed next to me, next i remember was picking my self up out of the snow feeling very stiff and aching, but the one thing i do remember is not hearing the bang? i was told i had been side struck, it turns out that snow is very conductive.

[swsnowlover]

Hello..my first post,,how exciting!!

I live in North Devon and this afternoon, when we were outside gardening the sky went jet black..the wind got up and the next thing the sky lit up followed by the boom of thunder..the heavens opened and it lashed down hail stones..they were so big that they hurt when they hit and within minutes the whole garden was white. I was surprised as I , like you, thought thunder storms were more a summer phenomenon...

Edited January 20, 2007 by swsnowlover

[Paul]

Welcome to the forum

[Verglas]

although we didn't have snow, we certainly had a good clap of thunder about 6pm tonight with torrential rain.

In relation to snow, hail and thunder, they all have a lot of static associated with them which causes noise on radio receivers.

I have seen sparks jumping across aerial plugs which had been disconnected from radio equipment during hailstorms, just like car spark plugs, indicating at least 1000 volts were present on the wire to jump the size of gap involved

[stormchaser1]

I apologise if this is in the wrong thread

looking at the current CAPE situation , there seems to be CAPE of around 340 for western Scotland , some areas around Fort William ,Kyle of Lochaish/ Mallaig/ Isle of Skye ,could possibly recieve some thunderstorms soon see below

nigel