Weird Weather Safety: Thundersnow

1/7/2022 (Permalink)

An uncommon winter weather event, this strange amalgamation of snow, lightning, and thunder does pop up in the atmosphere every once in a while.

Thunderstorms often occur day-in and day-out during the spring and summer, but have you ever heard of thundersnow? It is an uncommon winter weather event, but such a strange amalgamation of snow, lightning, and thunder does pop up in the atmosphere every once in a while. Even though the year just began, our region has already experienced thundersnow. In this blog, you’ll learn about thundersnow, including what it is and why it happens, in addition to safety tips that will help keep you, your home or business, and others who live or work with you safe during a thundersnow event should one occur this winter. 

What Is Thundersnow?

Instead of rain, which is the primary form of precipitation in a thunderstorm, snow is what falls to the ground in a thundersnow event. Thundersnow, according to the Farmer’s Almanac, is essentially a thunderstorm, as warm and cool air are colliding in the atmosphere, but due to colder temperatures during the winter, thundersnow, which features the combination of snow with thunder and lightning, occurs instead of a traditional thunderstorm. Thundersnow is not a common occurrence because this atmospheric temperature clash is unlikely to happen during the winter. However, severe winter weather events, like a Nor’easter that arrives on the heels of a slightly warmer cold front in our neck of the woods, may spur a thundersnow event. 

Thundersnow Safety

The lightning and snow accumulation produced by thundersnow events risk safety concerns. Most of us are likely familiar with what to do to stay safe during a thunderstorm, but what should you do during a thundersnow event? Imposing all of the safety concerns presented by a normal thunderstorm in addition to all those threatened by a snowstorm, thundersnow should be taken seriously as a severe winter weather event. Be aware that your home or business may experience rapid snow accumulation on top of power outages resulting from strong winds and lightning strikes. It is critical to stay indoors and be prepared for a power outage during a thundersnow event, just as you would during a thunderstorm. Lastly, because thundersnow events are so rare, when they do hit, they often come as a surprise. Be on the lookout for thunder and lightning during your area’s next snowstorm and stay updated on the forecast in order to stay as safe as possible.

Trust SERVPRO’s Storm Damage Restoration Services

Whether it’s thundersnow, a thunderstorm, a snowstorm, or any other type of weather event, you can always rely on SERVPRO to make it “Like it never even happened,” in the event that a storm event causes damage to your property. SERVPRO Disaster Recovery Team - Team Wall’s Storm Damage Restoration and Commercial Storm Damage Restoration services will restore your property to its preloss condition. SERVPRO Disaster Recovery Team - Team Wall is a member of SERVPRO’s larger network of Disaster Recovery Teams, which connects us to numerous additional storm restoration resources and technology. Call SERVPRO of Harrisburg West immediately upon noticing storm damage at (717) 510-6779 for our rapid, 24 Hour Emergency Service to restore your property after any storm damage emergency.