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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
National
Cormac O'Shea

What is thundersnow? Rare phenomenon strikes parts of Cork during Met Eireann weather warnings

Cork has been at the mercy of damaging gusts, lashing rain, hail, sleet, snow, thunder and lightning over the last few days as February gets off to a rough start.

Storm Ciara brought horrendous weather at the weekend and that was soon replaced by a snow and ice warning for all of Ireland - with many places getting considerable falls of the white stuff.

Those in the City and further west have avoided it but places like Watergrasshill, Fermoy and Mitchelstown have not been quite so lucky, CorkBeo reports.

Monday and Tuesday have also seen thunder and lightning enter the mix which is a very rare occurrence at this time of year.

The grounds of Colaiste Eoin secondary school in Hacketstown, Co Carlow covered in a blanket of snow on Monday morning (Darragh Kelly)

Met Eireann's warning for snow and ice ends at midnight on Tuesday but in case you have already seen or heard it, here's some cool information about the phenomenon known as thundersnow.

What is thundersnow?

The rare phenomenon occurs when thunderstorms - which are much more common in summer months - form in wintry conditions.

If the weather is cold the rain associated with a thunderstorm can then fall as snow and thus is called thundersnow.

It's unusual only because it can only occur in a few months of the year.

Will it look any different?

When thundersnow occurs at night the lightning appears brighter - this is because the light reflects off the snowflakes.

Will you hear it?

You actually won't hear the thunder that far away as snow dampens the sound - so if you do happen to hear it this means the lightning strike is likely within two to three miles of where you are.

Is it dangerous?

Snow, as well as thunder and lightning, are both dangerous in their own rights when it comes to driving conditions and making places icier but the combination is no more dangerous than each of them on their own.

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