Man Captures Rare Weather Phenomenon During Winter Storm

A rare moment of thunder occurring during a snowstorm has been captured in Detroit, Michigan.

The scene was recorded in a video posted on Reddit by user emufossum13 three days ago. A caption shared with the post says: "Thundersnow is a Michigan favorite." The footage shows a night view of snow-covered trees against the backdrop of snow falling, while thunder is heard in the background.

The 27-year-old poster based in Detroit, who only shared his first name Dave, told Newsweek: "The thunder and lightning is usually pretty big with these, but I've only ever experienced this one other time and I've lived here my whole life. It's definitely a rarer phenomenon.

"I think we actually had a transformer get hit by lightning up the street, so it's the same dangers you get with a regular thunderstorm," Dave added.

What Is Thundersnow?

Thundersnow is a "rare weather phenomenon" where thunder and lightning are accompanied mostly by snow rather than rain, noted a March 2018 article by the U.S. National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service (NESDIS) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Thundersnow occurs where there is relatively strong instability and abundant moisture above the Earth's surface, such as above a warm front. The conditions that create thundersnow are similar to those that form a typical thunderstorm—moisture, instability and a lifting mechanism, says the NESDIS.

The national service explained: "Here's the simple science: air is considered unstable if it continues to rise on its own after getting a nudge from a cold front or warm front. This rarely occurs when it's snowing because the air temperature in winter snowstorms is consistently cold, at both high and lower points in the atmosphere,"

"However, in some winter storms, shallow layers of warm air are lifted and continue to rise on their own—increasing snowfall and causing enough electric charge separation for lightning to occur," the NESDIS added.

Noting that thunderstorms are less common in winter, the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory said "thundersnow is sometimes observed downstream of the Great Salt Lake and the Great Lakes during lake-effect snowstorms too."

Record Cold Temperatures Amid Arctic Air Surge

The latest post comes as "dangerous wind chills" and record-setting cold temperatures continue in the center of the country, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.

Snow is expected to accumulate across the eastern Great Lakes and parts of the Northeast through Tuesday, while a strong storm will hit the Northwest and "more lake effect snow downwind of the Great Lakes are expected through mid-week," according to the NWS.

A heavy freezing spray warning is in place for parts of northern and southwestern Michigan, with winter weather and wind chill advisories as well as hazardous weather outlooks issued in pockets around the Grand Rapids area. A gale warning has also been issued around the Marquette area in northern Michigan, the NWS notes.

A heavy freezing spray refers to the heavy accumulation of freezing water droplets on a vessel at a rate of 2 centimeters (0.8 inch) per hour or greater. Gale refers to "sustained winds or frequent gusts of 39-55 mph" within 24 hours of "a non-tropical system," explains the NWS.

One more day of record-breaking cold temperatures is forecast across much of the Rockies, Great Plains and Midwest on Tuesday, "with wind chills below minus 30 extending into the mid-Mississippi Valley this morning," the national weather body said.

While a brief relief from the cold air is expected Wednesday, "the break will not last long as another surge of Arctic air reaches the Plains states and Deep South by Thursday-Friday," the NWS said.

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