Snow And Lightning

M

munk

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Mar 22, 2002
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For the second time in my life, I've heard a thunder clap and saw a flash of lightning as the snow storm hit its full fury here in my little valley. I understand this is a relatively rare occurance, but our limestone valley seems to favor the condition.

I'm used to the awesome thunderstorms of the Rocky Mountain West, and this snow storm was expected. Very strange to see light flashing on the cliffs. The snow was coming down fast, you couldn't see Saddle Butte a mile away, and the thunder and lightening was spectacular.

A little scary, though.



munk
 
I can vouch for the intensity of thunderstorms in the Rockies, but have never seen lightening in a snowstorm. Just took it for granted that it did't happen. I bet it is a really erie sight.
 
I had a thought....it is as if the rules were broken, and you wonder if something bad is going to happen. There was a downspurt.



munk
 
Remarkable and rare weather phenomena is worth remembering...

Full moon seen in the eye of a hurricane... Eclipse at totality turning shadows into little crescents... Lunar eclipses turning the moon to blood.

Ever have tornadoes where you are, munk? Last one I saw moved like a slinky- just hopping, boing, boing. Where it touched down stuff went UP it, looked like water goes down a drain; fluid, moving but draining UP.

Snow & lighting; seems like the stuff of Haikus.


Mike
 
for a moment there, it was exactly as if it were a thunder storm, but it snowed instead of rained with the lightning claps. The wind howled, the snow raced all around, and after a few minutes, started falling steady and soft again, back to normal.



munk
 
Interesting experience munk - I didn't know you could get lightning in a snowstorm.
 
I have seen it happen a couple times when I was stationed in Colorado Springs. I just assumed that the ultra-low humidity may have something to do with it.

It's wierd, no doubt.

DaddyDett
 
I haven't seen enough snow to know it was a rare thing.:confused: I have seen a few tornadoes, and they scare me to death. I can deal with hurricanes coming at me, but tornadoes just send me to praying. When I was a kid my dad was away on business and one hit our town and passed very close to our house. We were all huddled in the bathroom. I still remember the sound of it. We were lucky.

Sounds like an interesting sight though.:thumbup:
 
We had a freak spring thunderstorm that came around the 1st part of March '69 and we got 18 inches of snow down at Chouteau where I lived back then.
The snow started in Tulsa one afternoon and later that evening we were immersed in *Huge* flakes of snow with lightning and the accompaning thunder.
It was absolutely *Beautiful!!!!*:thumbup: :cool: I had seen it snow like that in the northern states but never here and never with the lightning and thunder.
The snow was falling straight down and it almost looked as if sheets of snow were falling it was so thick.
It was two days before the road crews got old Highway 33 open and we managed to get home for the weekend, we stayed with friends here in Tulsa that night during the storm.
Once we got home we were stuck there along with lots of other folks. The roads were still so bad they were impassable into Tulsa proper.
It was a week before I could get back to work but I took advantage of the time off.
Rabbit hunting is best done in deep snow down here and for once I got my share of them in the woods and fields behind our house.
I'll never forget the majesty and beauty of that night!!!!:thumbup: :cool: :D
If it had of rained instead of the conditions being just right for snow we would have only gotten like 3" of rain or so. It's been so long I've forgotten but I was amazed that so little rain could make so much snow! ;) :eek:
 
There was lots of snow. I don't know if at some point the snow was 'dry' or not. It was very fluffy. Today the sun is out, and the entire valley is white. The tree limbs are heavy with the stuff. Every once in awhile some busts loose and falls like a small smoke bomb.



munk
 
Reason I wasasking isI wastrying to figure out what type of snowwould lead to a build up of static electricity . Usually dry snow is smaller and almost hisses when its beeing blown around . I,ve only seen lightning once in a wicked snowstorm and honestly can,t remember what kinda snow it was , just that there was lots of it . It was kinda sheet lightning if I remember .right . Aint nature grand ?
 
The thunder and snow bit is more common here -- maybe every 2-3 years.

Add to the list of strange weather: brilliant sunshine while being pelted with 3.5" of hail -- some large enough to hurt. Afternoon in the Southern Rockies. August, 1990. When the storm pased, the sun raised steam off the hail covering the ground.
 
It's pretty high country and he told me it was pretty common to have lightning during snowstorms in that town.
 
I'm at 4500 feet in a small valley in a small chain of hills not taller than 7000 thousandish.


munk
 
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