What is thundersnow?

Rare thundersnow may be possible across parts of Scotland Tuesday morning, but what is it?

Thundersnow, as the name suggests, are thunderstorms which produce snow rather than rainfall. Its rarity stems from the fact that thunderstorms and snow need different conditions to form.

Thunderstorms need unstable air, which means cold air must be on top of warm air, whereas when it snows, the air is usually cold throughout the atmosphere.

However, sometimes in a winter storm there can be a small layer of slightly less-cold air, and this can be enough to trigger a thundery snowstorm.

The thunder and lightning that develops also appears slightly differently. Because of the denser snow, thunder is muffled while lightning appears brighter due to the reflection of white snowflakes.

You may notice this effect of snow on the ground too. The world suddenly seems a little quieter when snow dusts the ground

Sound travels in waves and needs to vibrate the molecules of whatever it’s travelling through in order to be transmitted.

Snowflakes have holes and gaps in their structure, which reduces any vibrations, helping to dampen sounds and reduce noise.