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Thundersnow

Weather
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A rare meteorological phenomenon where a winter snowstorm is accompanied by thunder and flashes of lightning.

Detailed Definition
Thundersnow is a rare weather event in which thunder and lightning occur during snowfall. The muffling quality of snow can make the thunder seem unusually close or strange, while lightning briefly illuminates a white, storm-filled world. Poets may use thundersnow to create an atmosphere of astonishment, contradiction, or heightened winter drama. It joins the quietness of snow with the violence of a thunderstorm, making it an apt image for concealed turmoil.
Example
Example in poetry:
Thundersnow shook the window, lightning whitening the flakes before they touched the road; The rare weather term thundersnow combines a snowstorm with thunder and lightning, creating an uncanny contrast for a poem; Under thundersnow, the cemetery flashed blue, each stone briefly given back its name; A poet can use thundersnow to make winter feel violent and electrically alive rather than silent
Additional Notes
Thundersnow joins winter imagery with the startling sound and flash of a thunderstorm. Because it is unusual, poets may use it to create surprise, tension, or a sense that familiar seasons have become uncanny.
Also Known As
Snow Thunderstorm Thunder Snow
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