Evansville Weather Update: Freezing rain, sleet, and ‘thundersnow?’

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EVANSVILLE — Having already endured above-average snowfall and treacherous road conditions, Tri-State residents may soon contend with freezing rain, sleet and a phenomena forecasters refer to as “thundersnow.”

According to the National Weather Service’s most recent 10-hour forecast, Evansville could be hit with a fresh wave of freezing rain and sleet between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., before snow is expected to return during nighttime hours.

As of early Sunday afternoon, weather radar showed a band of lightening stretching from Jonesboro, Illinois, to Cape Girardeau southwest of Evansville, laboring in the Tri-State’s direction. When a snowstorm produces lightening, forecasters refer to the resulting electrical blasts as “thundersnow.”

“Thundersnow can be found where there is relatively strong instability and abundant moisture above the surface, such as above a warm front,” the National Weather Service explains. “Thundersnow is sometimes observed downstream of the Great Salt Lake and the Great Lakes during lake-effect snowstorms too.”

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Tristate Wx meteorologist Shawn Weber, who is tracking the band of freezing rain and lightning, said it may be more accurate to dub the local phenomena “thundersleet” given the icy conditions.

“Part of it is moving through right now, but there is a little bit of instability the in the atmosphere,” Weber said of the complex weather system. “So that’s kind of what’s given us our lightning and thunder.”

In Kansas City, the Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore got a taste of thundersnow live on camera.

“Was that another one?” Cantore remarked, referring to what sounded like thunder, as he turned to locate the source. “Yes it was! See, see, I told you! We just had it again!”

The massive winter storm inundating much of the Midwest and East on Sunday had so far left 60 million Americans under a weather warning or advisory. In Evansville, a snow gauge positioned near Melody Hill measured about 3.5 inches of the white stuff Sunday afternoon, while a gauge in Downtown Evansville logged about 2.8 inches.

Weber was surprised to have seen a snow report from northern Vanderburgh County that topped six inches.

“Now we have all the sleet and freezing rain falling, and then once that load pushes off to the east, we’ll see that cold air and it all change back to snow tonight,” Webber said.

Evansville weather radar

Houston Harwood can be contacted at houston.harwood@courierpress.com

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Evansville Weather Update: Freezing rain, sleet, and ‘thundersnow?’

Image Credits and Reference: https://www.yahoo.com/news/evansville-weather-freezing-rain-sleet-211224993.html