Thundersnow!

So what exactly is "thundersnow"? 

First, let's start with thunderstorms in general. Thunderstorms develop when an air mass becomes highly unstable, leading to violent overturning. This typically occurs when there is a significant temperature difference, such as when warm, humid air near the ground meets cooler air above. During winter, the lower layers of air are generally colder with a lower dew point, making these atmospheric clashes less common. However, thundersnow can still occur. Though it is rare to have thunder and lighting conditions during a Colorado winter due to the unstable atmospheric conditions required to create them, it can still happen as document by NOAA during an historic 2021 storm in Wyoming. Plus, it's just a really incredible phenomenon! 

Who could forget this iconic moment a newscast captures the moment on live TV? 

The chances may be slim, but never zero, that you could encounter thundershow in the winter so it is always important to be prepared for! The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides a number of tips for lightning safety outdoors:

1. Although no place outside is safe during a thunderstorm, you can minimize your risk by assessing the lightning threat early and taking appropriate actions. The best defense is to avoid lightning.
2. Be aware. Thunderstorms with lightning in the mountains occur most often during the summer months, in the late afternoon or evening.
3. Check the weather forecast before participating in outdoor activities.
4. If the forecast calls for thunderstorms, postpone your trip or activity, or make sure suitable safe shelter is readily available.
5. Learn how to read the weather. Watch for the development of large, well-defined rising cumulus clouds. Cumulus clouds have flat bases and dome or cauliflower shapes. Cumulus clouds can develop into thunderstorms.
6. Watch and listen for distant storm activity.
7. Watch for distant lightning and listen for distant thunder. You might hear thunder before you see lightning on a bright day.
8. If you are caught outside with no safe shelter nearby: Immediately get off elevated areas such as hills, mountain ridges, or peaks. Never lie flat on the ground. Crouch down in a ball-like position with your head tucked and hands over your ears so that you are down low with minimal contact with the ground. Never shelter under an isolated tree. If you are in a forest, shelter near lower trees. Never use a cliff or rocky overhang for shelter. Immediately get out of and away from ponds, lakes, and other bodies of water.
9. If you are in a group during a thunderstorm, separate from each other. This will reduce the number of injuries if lightning strikes the ground.
10. Don't carry any metal objects, such as golf clubs, fishing poles, umbrellas, or backpacks with metal frames. Metal doesn't attract electricity, but it is a good conductor. Your chances of a direct hit are higher when you are carrying a conductor above shoulder level.
11. If a person has been struck by lightning, call for help, assess the situation, respond, and resuscitate. Giving first aid to a person who has been struck by lightning while waiting for professional medical attention can save their life. It is safe to touch people who have been struck by lightning; they DO NOT carry an electrical charge.