Apparently the Hotlanta region is seeing a phenomenon of sorts — ThunderSNOW. That’s right – when the sky can’t make up its mind between thunder and lightning or a full-on snow storm – they call it ThunderSNOW.
At first I thought we were dealing with a purely redneck term but I have a photo that proves the educated weathermen at The Weather Channel used the term too. In fact, they seemed quite excited to be experiencing a thundersnow in Atlanta.
After a short Google session, I’ve learned that thundersnow is a rare but valid meteorological event.
In the United States, only 1.3% of cool-season (October-May) thunderstorms reported coincide with snowfall, and only 0.07% of snowstorms have associated thunder. (A five-year study of thundersnows in the central US by University of Missouri meteorologist, Patrick Market, began in 2003.)
Learn a bit more by clicking the link below or Googling the term.
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/13646/111679
Were you lucky enough to be in the thundersnow event of ‘09?