Thundersnow events in the UK

[Andy_]

I've actually witnessed thundersnow more than once, with the most memorable experience being sat in my GCSE English class in 2009 appreciating enough that there was a heavy snow shower, but then for there to be a massive flash and crack of thunder was incredible and at the same time a bit confusing! Very impressive, and the ultimate gift of aggressive convection off the North Sea to deliver both heavy snow and thunder and lightning in one shower. 

[MP-R]

28th January 2004 has to be the best one for me. I could see the front coming in the dim late afternoon light with the sky blackening from the north. Between 5pm and 6pm it moved through, starting with spots of rain then suddenly an increase in wind speed (and much colder at that) with the quick onset of very heavy snow with bright lightning and loud thunder. This event brought the classic winter thunder - much louder and more dramatic than in summer where it rumbles for longer. This was real ground shaking gunshot sounds that set off two car alarms I remember. The temperature plummeted after it moved through, I think down to -4C or so the following morning.

[I remember Atlantic 252]

That does sound like it could have been 28th January 2004. One of my favourite rain to snow events. Your description does seem to match the criteria of it very well.Edit: Managed to find a thread about that snow/thundersnow outbreak here: http://forum.netweather.tv/topic/69219-snow-chaos-hits-birmingham-jan-2004/

 

Not the best here that, was heavy snow blizzard like, but no thunder/lightning, and only really a frozen icy dusting

[Cheshire Freeze]

Rare enough to get one or the other here....the odds of them combining are as long as winning the lottery jackpot.

[BlueHedgehog074]

Not the best here that, was heavy snow blizzard like, but no thunder/lightning, and only really a frozen icy dusting

To be fair, I agree that it didn't amount to much (about 1 to 2cm of snow here). So it that respect, it's not been the greatest fall of snow ever. The fast transition from the torrential rain to torrential snow was incredible, though, and probably caught a number of people out by surprise.

[Thundery wintry showers]

I've actually witnessed thundersnow more than once, with the most memorable experience being sat in my GCSE English class in 2009 appreciating enough that there was a heavy snow shower, but then for there to be a massive flash and crack of thunder was incredible and at the same time a bit confusing! Very impressive, and the ultimate gift of aggressive convection off the North Sea to deliver both heavy snow and thunder and lightning in one shower. 

Sounds like it was probably the 2nd February 2009- I remember that thundersnow was reported widely from the Newcastle area that day.

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2009/Rrea00120090202.gif

The south-easterly incursion on the 3rd January 2008 also produced thunder and lightning locally around Newcastle, although I didn't notice any at Cleadon.

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2008/Rrea00120080103.gif

[gary1365]

i have seen it 3 times one big flash and bag in very heavy snow around 2004 - 2005 when i was driving home from work in bangor and in 2010 in bangor it was really epic heavy snow with huge flakes where i was in bangor there is videos of it on youtube i could only see the flashes the video must have been closer.

 

i'm trying to remember where the 3rd occurrence was lol

 

[Kirkcaldy Weather]

Possibly my #1 weather phenomena to witness, I'm lucky enough to have experienced on multiple occasions so far .

November 2010 

Winds were alternating between east and north easterlies on the 27th   with the first signs of the heavy snow arriving on the Saturday night 

By midday on the 28th the flow was perfect with a straight easterly continuing to feed in non stop bands of heavy snow AND THUNDERSNOW which were quickly piling up the snowfall amounts 

  the easterly flow persisted even heading into the 30th 

some more forecasts of the event and fax charts

   

I was living in a higher part of Kirkcaldy at the time and by the end of the event there was over a foot of snow. Some other youtube videos from Kirkcaldy of this event 

February / March 2018

27th February 2018 saw the easterly begin to arrive up here with a bitter cold pool accompanying it 

through the night into the 28th the easterly strengthened  with the gale force easterly winds blizzard conditions set in with the non stop snow showers and also plenty of thundersnow 

even here at 20m ASL by the end of the event again I had a foot of snow which is quite an achievement at that altitude, also was in the center of a RED snow warning from the met office 

you can see some of the lightning flashes in this video 

my pics from this event 

and fax charts 

December 4th 2020

My posts from that night 

LOL you can judge my excitement for thundersnow from that 

The thunder was so loud folk were phoning the police thinking a bomb had went off 

My vid from that night 

and fax charts 

I know there were many thundersnow reports across the western Isles, West + northwest Scotland, Northwest England toward the pennines with the snowy spells in March 

[Kirkcaldy Weather]

January 17th and 18th 2024

On 17/01/2024 at 19:31, Kirkcaldy Weather said:

Majority of the finer resolution models aren't really seeing much however the ever trusty wrf 2km does get the flow sufficiently enough into the Northeast by this evening through the first part of the night 

Bit more oomph with these streamers with an increased level of instability available and something we'd not chatted about thus far is thundersnow, I noted some strikes on radar toward Ayr yesterday but the precip was rain, tonight along the Moray firth toward the far Northeast corner look best probably around The A96 northward into the coastal regions a la Lossiemouth Buckie etc 

Using the Skew Ts and focused at the CAPE values really decent with amounts remaining considerable even into midnight hours

 

Very neat showcase of this generally during today and tonight

Use the snow accumulations charts as more of a guide as streamer development is always fine margins but I'd be expectant of the area up toward @Halfamilefromnowhere having in the region of a foot of snow... that's all new snow BTW 

Similar look to the setup during Friday as yesterday's 

The extent through central Scotland still shows some model discrepancies however the flow is better aligned generally at least for some period of time.

Regardless if it falls as rain snow or a wintry mix could bring travel disruption with it going onto already frozen surfaces.

BOOM Early contender for best satellite pic of the year

 

 

 

On 17/01/2024 at 21:15, Kirkcaldy Weather said:

Lol an early winner first lightning literally just a few miles east of my aforementioned area. Fab

 

On 17/01/2024 at 20:26, Kirkcaldy Weather said:

A brief update areas to keep a close watch on tonight - tomorrow 

As multiple areas of increased instability form we'll have increasing streamer development of which I'm particularly interested over toward the Humber and expect there will be increased possibilities for thundersnow certainly good CAPE just offshore but some of this pushes towards the coast bringing the streamers, looking likely for a shot to see at least a covering from the Humber down into the wash and toward East Anglia especially northern East Anglia.

Across to the west and the Irish Sea also sees an increase in CAPE creating a nice looking streamer heading into Wales especially Northwest and West Wales

The above being a general idea. Some modelling keeps the Humber event offshore however my thoughts above are just as much of a probability/possibility.

 

[jy]

28 1 2004 only time I've seen thundersnow.Followed it's track on the regional.Oxford had it then it continued south.Pouring with rain then no longer noise on the windows. Thunder and lightning  in tandem with very heavy snow really was a special thing to experience.

[Storm_Sikher]

Only just seen this thread, I remember thunder snow from the cold winter of 1981/82, there was tons of snow that Winter and I remember that year quite well as I left school in 1982!
Have seen lightning, heard thunder during snow a few times since but never recorded an incident yet unfortunately.

[damianslaw]

A rarity here, tends to be a east coast phenonema.. when very cold convective airstreams hit the warm SSTs... 

The only thundersnow I can remember was late on 21 Dec 2009. Heavy snow showers banded together from a SW direction off Morecambe Bay unusually, with a cold trough parked to our north, arctic air reached us on a long sea track from the SW, the warm Irish Sea interacting with the cold air aided convection. 

[SummerShower]

 damianslaw we had thundersnow down here on 23 December 2009 when that cold spell moderated a bit from the south.

Also.. 22nd February 1995 when a dramatic squall crossed the UK

28th January 2004.  This was widespread as a few have stated.

Also 6th April 2008.  3 inches in just over an hour but a one off extremely loud clap from a positive strike that was about 4 to 5 miles from my location.  Think this was the only strike during that event.

[A Face like Thunder]

Easter Sunday, 30th March 1975. It was snowing (as has happened all weekend) as the evening service at our local church in Surrey came to an end, when suddenly there was a brilliant flash of lightning followed by an instantaneous crash of thunder and all the lights in the church went out. We didn't know whether to laugh or fall on our knees and beg forgiveness for our many sins!