Thundersnow facts for kids

Thundersnow is a thunderstorm with snow instead of rain. This rare kind of weather is less rare around the Midwestern United States, the Great Lakes and Rocky Mountains, the Sea of Japan, and Mount Everest. Thundersnow mostly happens in March.

How it is made

• A thunderstorm at the front of a wave of cold air or warm air (cold front or warm front)
• The edge of a big ocean storm (or cyclone) where lower warm and higher cold air mix.
• Thunderstorms going over a warm lake while the air is cold (or lake-effect).

Thunder can be heard many miles away, but thundersnow thunder can only be heard a few miles away. The snow stops sounds of thunder more than rain does.

Images for kids

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  Thundersnow formation with an occluded front

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  A large squall producing heavy snow and frequent lightning over Buffalo, NY.