A rare weather event thundered across several eastern and central US states this weekend as arctic air continues to bring heavy snow and freezing temperatures to millions of Americans. Researchers said that a thunderstorm with snow is extremely rare and requires certain conditions, writes Live Science.
A snow storm, also known as a winter thunderstorm, occurs when a snow storm is accompanied by thunder and lightning. This is precisely the phenomenon that was recorded by meteorologists in most of the Midwest, as well as in Maryland, Virginia and Washington..
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The National Weather Service in St. Louis (Missouri, USA) shared satellite images from NASA's GOES-East spacecraft showing lightning flashes over Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri on Sunday, January 5. Meteorologists also warned of the possibility of sleet and asked to avoid travel.
Researchers explained what a thunderstorm with snow is and what conditions are necessary for it to occur.
Thunderstorms occur when warm, moist air rises and condenses into the colder, drier air above it, forming cumulus clouds. Inside these clouds is a combination of light ice crystals rising and soft hail, also known as graupel - which is denser and falls downwards..
This causes the particles to hit each other, causing electrons to be transferred from the ice crystals to the grain. Ultimately, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a cumulus cloud appears with positively charged ice crystals at the top and negatively charged graupel at the bottom..
This creates a negative charge at the base of the cloud, pushing away electrons in the Earth below. The charge difference between the cloud and the ground accumulates until the potential energy is eventually discharged in the form of a lightning strike. The energy from this impact heats the surrounding air and causes it to rush out, creating the sound we know as thunder..
If this weather system is in the midst of a snow storm, a rare weather phenomenon known as a snowstorm occurs.
Researchers note that it all comes down to the conditions necessary for the formation of thunderstorms - they rarely occur in the winter months. According to John Shonk, a senior scientist at the UK Met Office and a researcher at the University of Reading, there is simply much less energy in the atmosphere in winter, meaning surface heating is significantly reduced..
On the rare occasions that thundersnow does occur, it tends to occur in the Great Lakes region. At the same time, according to meteorologist Kendall Smith, the winter thunderstorm observed this weekend is quite unusual - it is very strange to see thunderstorm snow so far south. As a result, scientists called this weather phenomenon "
Like any other storm that produces lightning, a thunderstorm can be dangerous. However, the lightning and thunder that accompany a snowstorm are typically less frequent and less intense than summer thunderstorms.
During summer thunderstorms, thunder can be heard several kilometers away, but snow can muffle the sound and therefore limit the distance at which thunder can be heard..
As a result, people may be less cautious about an approaching storm and may be at greater risk of unexpected lightning strikes.
The researchers also note that the frequency of lightning strikes during winter thunderstorms is significantly lower than during summer thunderstorms, but they can still be destructive. Another danger is that winter thunderstorms are usually accompanied by heavy snowfall.
Previously, Focus wrote that scientists are revealing the secrets of how lightning and thunderstorms work.