Thundersnow: This Rare Spectacle Could Be More Common in Michigan

There's a rare phenomenon in the world or weather that can both catch you off guard and take your breath away. Could the double-whammy of snow events happening in Michigan have the potential to create something called Thundersnow?

What Is Thundersnow?

Conditions have to be just right to create thundersnow which is why it rarely happens. But when it does you won't just be astounded by how bright the lightning is, you'll also notice that all the snow in the atmosphere kind of muffles the loud cracking of the thunder. It's more of a low rumble. Weather geeks across the globe long for the chance to experience the magic of thundersnow. Even The Weather Channel's Jim Cantore is overwhelmed by the sight of it, especially when it happens multiple times.

Although it is rare thundersnow does occur in the United States, even here in Michigan. In fact it is most common in the Great Lakes region and Canada. I remember being a kid growing up in Durand and absolutely marveling at the sight of it back in the 80s. Seeing the snow falling outside our window with a strobe light effect was simply magical and mesmerizing. You might also see something else that's a rarity called graupel, which are like tiny hailstones.

According to MLive Meteorologist Mark Torregrossa,

While we don’t have good stats on how often it happens in Michigan, I would estimate once every five years.

What's Even Rarer Than Thundersnow?

And as infrequent as thundersnow can be, this past December Michigan experienced an even stranger and more uncommon occurrence called lake-effect thundersnow. Torregrossa said that in his career he's only seen it a handful of time. But Kalamazoo saw this rarer than rare weather event happen just a few months ago. This lake-effect thundersnow spectacle has much more to do with the Great Lakes heating the atmosphere in addition to the conditions being just right.

Have you ever experienced thundersnow? If you have stories, photos or video we would love for you to share them with us on the mobile app.

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