Lighting Strikes

Observation: Nome experienced 2 lightning strikes and thunder Monday morning during a snow squall. In 106 years of daily records in Nome - this is the first time winter thunder/lightning have been reported.

LEO says: Thank you Gay for the post. According to the Arctic Sounder, there have been other unusual light and sound shows occurring in the region: More than a dozen people reported seeing several bright flashes in the sky on February 15th. That event was also very rare and chocked up as "Thundersnow". Though rare, thundersnow is a real phenomenon, a snow thunderstorm that occurs under circumstances similar to a thunderstorm as the front of either a cold front or a warm front move into an area. The thunder part of the event is often muffled by the snow, but the flashes may still be visible."It's pretty rare, but it's not out of the question in the winter," said John Lingaas, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Fairbanks. Read more here. This observation has been shared with the NWS Alaska Region, NOAA.