Am I confused

[Dave_Knowles]

Last night we had a couple of huge thunder claps (you know dog ran under the table) and it started chucking it down with rain. Within moments though the rain turned to snow. Why should we get thunder before snow I wander. Is this common? I have never experienced it before.

<hr width=100% size=1>Dave
Southampton - uk

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[rickp]

Its very rare apparently. Not that that will be much comiseration to the folks around here - the local church was hit - and the bell tower later caught fire and collapsed according to the news. Not been out yet today, so not seen it for myself.

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[jon_bailey]

It was a very active cold front that passed through Southern counties at about 18:00 hrs last night. The large temperature change was indicative of the fact that there was a lot of energy tied up in the weather system hence the lightning (& thunder), heavy precipitation & strong winds. It was certainly unusual at this time of year and not often associated with snow, but far from unheard of.

This is only my simplistic explanation and no doubt someone will come back with a much more complex and detailed diatribe.

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[PGD]

Wife told me the same, I said she was mad, you don't get snow and lightning together!

Then saw it for myself and obviously it wasn't just here in Bucks - very strange.


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[Althorne]

Glad you wrote this post dave. While stuck in a 2 hour traffic jam in central London last night I thought I saw a flash of lightning but dismissed it for the reasons most have given here. Must have been a big'un for so many to have witnessed it.

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[Happy1]

Thunderstorms usually require warm, humid air near the ground to form. Warm air rises, cools, the moisture in the air condenses, and this can lead to the development of thunderstorms.

Obviously in a winter storm / blizzard that is not the case.

However, the air near the ground can be "relatively" warm compared to the air at high altitudes. In this case, thunderstorms (usually relatively weak and short-lived) can develop. And, under some circumstances, many such storms can develop.



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[Steve Clayton]

There might be some good news in the bell tower-fire. Please advise in a fortnight if the heat from the bell-tower fire has brought the daffodils out early???



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