thundersnow aftermath by Christian Collins
A reader commented that they had seen lightning & heard the rumble of thunder yesterday, an observation shared by numerous folks around the state. Although a lot of the online articles are hyping up thunder snow as a dangerous or abnormal phenomenon, it’s not.
The NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory’s Severe Weather 101 explains that although thunderstorms are less common in the winter, sometimes lightning does occur within a snowstorms and is called thundersnow. Thundersnow can be found where there is relatively strong instability and abundant moisture above the surface, such as above a warm front. Thundersnow is sometimes observed downstream of the Great Salt Lake and the Great Lakes during lake-effect snowstorms too.
Christian took this back in February if 2017. See more in his barns – graneros gallery on Flickr.
PS: If anyone in the Upper Peninsula captured yesterday’s thundersnow on video, the National Weather Service Marquette Office would love to see it!
Since the storm began, power has been restored to over 56,000 members.
Just over 45,000 Great Lakes Energy (GLE) members remain without power this morning across 15 of our 26 counties.
Unfortunately, a new storm system hit our southern territory late yesterday, causing additional damage and compounding restoration challenges.
Michigan in Pictures 