What is thundersnow, the rare phenomenon that could hit New York City tonight?

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Thundersnow, an uncommon winter climate phenomenon, might hit the US northeast on Monday evening, forecasters mentioned.

New York Metropolis might see thundersnow — when lightning varieties inside a snowstorm — by way of Tuesday morning, Nationwide Climate Service meteorologist Bryan Ramsey informed The Unbiased.

“Proper now, [thundersnow] is one thing we’re contemplating,” Mr Ramsey mentioned, including that forecasters will know extra about its probability by Monday night.

Thundersnow is uncommon as a result of it requires each heat and chilly air to collide in simply the suitable strategy to spark lightning, in response to Mr Ramsey.

If heat air collides with a snowstorm, it may possibly create turbulent winds throughout the system. In flip, these winds trigger ice crystals to collide, inflicting excessive sufficient expenses to spark lightning, Mr Ramsey defined.

Whereas thundersnow is feasible, nothing might be sure till hours earlier than the wintry circumstances start to hit New York and the encompassing area. New York Metropolis might see as much as eight inches of snow, whereas the remainder of the state, together with components of Connecticut and New Jersey, might see as much as a foot.

Forward of the storm, New York Metropolis Public Colleges introduced that Tuesday might be a digital studying day.

This week’s Nor’easter comes roughly a month after the primary winter storm of 2024 hit the area. That freezing blast ended a two-year snowless streak for a number of cities together with New York and Philadelphia.

Storm Indigo in January knocked out energy for lots of of 1000’s of properties, brought on journey chaos, and killed a number of folks throughout the US.