Can there be thunder and lightning during a snowstorm?

Question

i know there can be thunder and lightning with rain, but isnt snow just frozen rain?

Answer 1

There are usually three forms of thundersnow:

A normal thunderstorm on the leading edge of a cold front or warm front that either forms in a winter environment or one which runs into cool air and maintains the precipitation as snow.
A heavy synoptic snowstorm in the comma head of an extratropical cyclone that sustains strong vertical mixing which allows for favorable conditions for lightning and thunder to occur.
A lake effect or ocean effect thunderstorm which is produced by cold air passing over relatively warm water, this effect commonly produces snow squalls over the Great Lakes.

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 miles away, while the thunder from thundersnow can usually only be heard within a two to three kilometer radius from the lightning. In the United States, March is their peak month of formation, and on average, only three events are reported per year.

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. It commonly falls in regions of strong upward motion within the cold sector of extratropical cyclones between autumn and spring when surface temperatures are most likely to be near or below freezing.

Answer 2

Yes, it can. I've seen lighting during the time it was snowing and heard the thunder caused by the lightning.
It can happen just about any time of the year.
I live in Wisconsin, btw, and we can have some very odd weather just about any time.

Answer 3

Snow is actually water below freezing point, or rain drops, that form high up in the sky in the clouds ( which are water )
Only when these water drops combine with ( or stick to ) other elements like dust, can the water drops freeze, and form snow. The size of the snow depends on the conditions that exist up there.

Answer 4

Yes, its called thundersnow and it is a particularly rare event.

Thundersnow is more common with lake effect snow 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 Kanazawa and the Sea of Japan and even around Mount Everest during expeditions.

Answer 5

Yes, it has happened before. A month ago, there were reports of a couple of lightning strikes while wintry mix was falling in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

Answer 6

Absolutely YES.

Answer 7

I've seen thunderstorms during a blizzard. It's rare, but it does happen. It's really strange when it does, though. It feels kind of "Twilight Zone-ish".

Answer 8

yes it is called thunder snow

Answer 9

Yes.

Answer 10

It can happen here is a website for you to investigate