Paralyzing Great Lakes snowstorm produces rare thundersnow, waterspouts

BUFFALO, N.Y. – A significant lake-effect snowstorm that impacted communities from Michigan through New York produced rare thundersnow and even spawned waterspouts along the shore of Lake Erie.

The winter weather event was fueled by gusty winds moving over the warmer waters of the Great Lakes, causing the warm, moist air to rise until it formed clouds and eventually precipitation.

The National Weather Service office in Buffalo, New York, expected some snowfall totals to top 4 feet by Monday, and in some of the embedded snow bands, thundersnow and waterspouts were reported.

A video captured by FOX Weather Exclusive Storm Tracker Brandon Copic showed the thundersnow in action on Saturday evening, producing lightning that lit up the sky above Blasdell, New York.

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Thundersnow is a rare weather phenomenon where thunder and lightning are observed despite precipitation falling in the frozen variety. 

Similar to thunderstorms, thundersnow requires a significant amount of atmospheric instability, and in areas where the phenomenon occurs, snowfall rates can be exceptionally heavy.

On Saturday, thundersnow was observed in both Watertown and Blasdell, New York, around heavy bands of snow.

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FOX Weather Exclusive Storm Tracker Brandon Copic said the occurrence of thunder and lightning was rather frequent south of the Buffalo metro on Saturday evening. 

The region’s proximity to Lake Erie makes it susceptible to heavy lake-effect snow events, but seeing it combined with thundersnow is a rare occurrence.

Also, as expected, waterspouts were observed along the shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Erie on Saturday morning.

The twisters are usually a warm-weather phenomenon, but enough of a temperature difference existed between the lakes and the colder air above that the funnels formed.

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None are believed to have caused any damage, and the funnels were difficult to see due to the low cloud cover and snow along the Great Lakes.

In the days leading up to the event, the International Centre for Waterspout Research warned of the possibility of the phenomenon, which is sometimes referred to as “snow spouts.”

“Did you know that waterspouts can form when it is snowing? The rarely observed ‘snow spout’ has been documented around the world, especially over the Great Lakes. Conditions are favorable for snow spouts today and into the weekend over the Great Lakes. Will you see one?” the research group posted on social media, leading up to the snow event.

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Officials urged residents to stay off the roadways to allow transportation crews space to treat and plow the thoroughfares.

“Whiteout conditions are expected and will make travel treacherous and potentially dangerous. Travel will be very difficult to impossible within the heaviest portion of the lake effect snowband,” NWS forecasters warned.

A change in the wind direction on Tuesday is expected to reduce snowfall rates ahead of the next storm system, which could reinvigorate the pattern by the end of the workweek.

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