Topic: Thunder Snow

[jruys]

The time is 10:00pm on 2/1/2008 and the current temperature is 28F, lighting and thundering, and snowing just South of Denver.  Quite interesting

[up10ad N9RJH]

Yep, we has some of that a few days ago here in Delta.  Strange sight and sound.

[weatherforyou]

I experienced this quite a few years ago.  I had to snowmobile to a transmitter on top of a mountain in the middle of a snowstorm.  Just as I got to the site I thought I heard thunder, but thought it was something else.  Then as soon as I was in the building a lightning bolt struck the 197 foot tower right next to the building, which blew out the generator transfer panel and left me in the dark.  I left the metal door cracked open.  There were a half dozen more direct strikes on the tower, each one proceeded by a Jacob's Ladder effect going up the crack in the door.  So between two flat tires that day and being in the middle of a thunderstorm on top of a mountain with a 197 foot lightning rod... can't say it was one of my best days. 

[Anthony]

Most generally. Any time there is thunder and ligntning during a snow storm it is usually snowing very heavily. Atleast it has been the two times I've experienced it.

[CNYWeather]

We get that a lot around here with the intense bands of lake effect snow
off of Lake Ontario

[chief-david]

It is common for it to happen-and cool.

You may be in for a lot of snow.

A weather man said thundersnow can bring 12 inches.

Keep us posted on how much you get.

[jruys]

Where I was, we only got around a half an inch, there was a little more just to the North of us, but it was a pretty quick moving storm.  Fun to watch though:)

[Mark / Ohio]

I experienced this quite a few years ago.  I had to snowmobile to a transmitter on top of a mountain in the middle of a snowstorm.  Just as I got to the site I thought I heard thunder, but thought it was something else.  Then as soon as I was in the building a lightning bolt struck the 197 foot tower right next to the building, which blew out the generator transfer panel and left me in the dark.  I left the metal door cracked open.  There were a half dozen more direct strikes on the tower, each one proceeded by a Jacob's Ladder effect going up the crack in the door.  So between two flat tires that day and being in the middle of a thunderstorm on top of a mountain with a 197 foot lightning rod... can't say it was one of my best days. 

Friend of mine was in a tower's transmitter building when lightning struck.  His description of the Jacob's ladder effect was very similar to yours, seen it around the ceiling as well.  Only he was lucky that when the generator kicked in to his surprise everything came back on.  He was still new to the job at the time and I guess the boss told him after that if he heard thunder to get the heck out of there ahead of time.   

[weatherforyou]

Only he was lucky that when the generator kicked in to his surprise everything came back on.

I wish I would have been so lucky.  Once I didn't hear thunder for about half an hour I got into the generator panel and had to bypass part of a three-phase power system to get something back on.  Then there was the damage to the transmitter... only three blown rectifiers luckily.    I was also lucky cell phones hadn't come to that area of the country yet.  You may say "but you could call for help."  But I didn't have the station owner or anyone else calling me every ten minutes asking why it wasn't back on.  Sometimes lack of technology was a blessing.