State 1 of few to get rare ‘thundersnow’

Phenomenon unusual, expert says

— Arkansans saw myriad weather conditions Tuesday - rain, sleet, freezing rain, snow fog, snow and even a blizzard in spots - as a large storm system gave Arkansas its first white Christmas in years.

Just as rare was the “thundersnow” that hit with the storm.

It’s a winter phenomenon that occurs only when conditions are perfect, said meteorologist Chris Buonanno with the National Weather Service in North Little Rock.

It doesn’t snow much in Arkansas, so there’s a limited chance of thunder and lightning with snow in the first place. And it may thunder during snow storms only once every several years,Buonanno said.

Thundersnow is usually accompanied by heavy snowfall.

“We’ve seen it before,” Buonanno said. “It happens, but it’s very, very rare.”

For thundersnow to happen, air temperaturesat the ground level must be warmer than the air above but still cold enough to produce snow, he said.

The warmer air rises and creates “convection,” or instability, Buonanno said.

It’s similar to what happens during a hail storm in the summer, said Andy Chiuppi, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Memphis.

Although generally short-lived, thundersnow rumbled across Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee and Ohio as the storm system passed through Tuesday night and Wednesday.

In Walnut Ridge, where 10 inches of snow fell, Elizabeth Halfacre said she was startled by what she saw Christmas night.

“I’m from Michigan, and I never heard of thundersnow until last night,” Halfacre said.

“I heard the thunder and saw the lightning light up my picture window.

“When I looked outside, I saw the snow,” she said. “It was white, white, white.”

Front Section, Pages 6 on 12/27/2012

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