Is there ever lightning and thunder with snow?

Answer 1

Yes. Rare, but yes.

Thunderstorms are all about instability and strong updrafts, and those are usually associated with warm, moist air (high humidity) near the ground rising into very cold air at higher altitudes. In the winter, the air near the ground is usually neither warm nor moist. Frequent cold fronts wring the moisture out of the air (in the form of precipitation), and the air is left with low dewpoints.

But sometimes, there is just the right combination of "somewhat" moist low level air, and temperatures near freezing (not TOO cold), and EXTREMELY cold upper level air, that you get a storm with a strong updraft, and "thundersnow".

One more thing: There is snow (and hail) in virtually EVERY thunderstorm. You usually just don't see it, because it is in the upper levels of the storm, and melts before falling to the ground.
Thunderstorms are a nearly-every-day event over the mountains of Colorado in summer. If you were at the top of one of those mountains during a thunderstorm (very inadvisable), you would experience thundersnow almost every time, since the temperature at 14,000 feet struggles to warm above freezing even on a sunny day.

Answer 2

Thundersnow is a particularly rare meteorological phenomenon that includes the typical behavior of a thunderstorm, but with snow falling as the primary precipitation instead of rain.
There are usually two forms of thundersnow:
A normal thunderstorm on the leading edge of a cold front that passes over a colder body of water (with subsequently colder air around it) which in turn maintains the precipitation as snow.
A heavy snowstorm that catches a warm draft of air which allows favorable conditions for lightning and thunder to occur.
One unique aspect of thundersnow is that the snowfall acts as an acoustic suppressor of the thunder. The thunder from a typical thunderstorm can be heard many kilometres away, while the thunder from thundersnow can usually only be heard within a two to three kilometer radius from the lightning.
Thundersnow, while rare anywhere, is more common with lake-effect snows in the Great Lakes area of the United States and Canada, the Midwestern U.S., the Great Salt Lake, and has also been reported around the Sea of Japan and even around Mount Everest during expeditions. When such storms happen at ski areas, the mountain is often evacuated for safety.
Thundersnow was reported in metro Atlanta during the Great Blizzard of 1993, and in greater New York (and other areas) during the Blizzard of 2006. During a thundersnow event in late March 1997, lightning struck the main ski lift at the Angelfire Resort in Angelfire, New Mexico after closing time. This caused no injuries, but damaged the only lift providing access to and from the operating part of the mountain. Large snow pellets were also reported from this storm.

Answer 3

Heck yea. Here in Pittsburgh last winter a snow storm came through with lightening and thunder with the snow. I had never seen anything like that before.

Answer 4

A MOST DEFINITE YES! The day my daughter was born 28th November 1980 there was a massive flash of lightening followed by a very loud overhead bang. A few minutes later there were several inches of snow on the ground and the snow was falling hard. One an only time I have ever experienced it.

Answer 5

The reason why it rarely happens is that clouds are charged when they are build up by evaporating water. When it's cold, this process is too slow to buid up high charges before the clouds are de-charged by convection.

But it could happen. For example, if you're in the high mountains close to wet lowlands, and wind blows from the lowlands to the mountains, charged clouds may be build up ower the lowlands and blow into the mountains, where it's cold enough to snow while the clouds release their charge in the form of lightning. Also, it could happen during a full eclipse.

Answer 6

I've heard it/seen it (snow and thunder) in Wendell Massachusetts, but have never seen lightning with the snow. maybe because the snow obscures the sky! lol ;-)

Answer 7

Yes,we get it here in the winter in Michigan,and it's called thunder snow!

Answer 8

very rarely, I am 35 an have seen it twice in michigan

Answer 9

Yes, rare, but really cool when it happens here in MO.

Answer 10

Yes, I have seen it once or twice.