Does thunder in winter mean snow is on its way? We fact-checked with a meteorologist
There’s an old wives’ tale that has some winter weather-lovers crossing their fingers and toes right now: If it thunders in the winter, it’ll snow within the next week.
Is that true? Because a lot of us heard thunder on Wednesday, Dec. 11.
Here’s what the experts say.
If I hear winter thunder, is snow on the way?
Scientifically, no. It could mean a cold front is on its way, but that doesn’t mean precipitation — specifically, snow — is coming with it.
“My impression has always been that if it’s warm enough and conditions are right for you to get thunder in the winter, you’re most likely going to have a significant change in air masses on the way. Warm air to cold air, in this instance,” Barrett Smith, National Weather Service Raleigh’s senior service hydrologist, previously told The News & Observer.
“Once the cold air has settled over the area, the next weather system may have a chance to interact with the cold air before it warms up, but it’s no guarantee.”
Was there lighting and thunder in NC this week?
Yes, North Carolina experienced some thunder and lightning Wednesday morning, said James Danco, meteorologist with NWS Raleigh.
The threat of thunder and lighting was expected to ramp up later in the day.
North Carolina weather forecast
Both Raleigh and Charlotte metro areas expected showers and “possibly a thunderstorm” before 4 p.m. Wednesday, according to local NWS forecast offices’ detailed forecasts, then mostly clear skies overnight.
In total, Charlotte forecasted 2-3 inches of rain, and Raleigh forecasted 1-2 inches, Danco said.
The areas aren’t expecting to get another chance of showers again until Saturday night/Sunday morning after 1 a.m.
There is no snow forecasted for both the Raleigh and Charlotte regions, Danco said.
Debunking the ‘thunder to snow’ wives tale
The NC State Climate Office studied this myth several years ago, Spectrum News reported in 2020. The experts reviewed weather records dating back to the 1940s for several locations in the state, including Raleigh, Greensboro and Charlotte.
They found 642 days between the first of December and the end of February when lightning or thunder occurred. Snow fell 85 times within 10 days — that’s only 13% of the time.
This story was originally published December 11, 2024 at 12:04 PM.
