Thundersnow

In the UK, winter has arrived, with frosty nights and chilly days. And now they are even expecting thundersnow. Ever heard of that? It’s really rare. Someone filmed it near Chicago some winters ago.

Read the following words and phrases and their definitions.

• phenomenon - an interesting fact that is unusual or difficult to understand or explain fully
• visibility - the distance people can can see as determined by light and weather conditions
• plows - vehicles used for clearing snow from a road, driveway, etc.
• bolt - a bright line of light that appears in the sky during a storm; a flash of lightning
• springtime - the season that follows winter
• tricky - difficult
• unstable - changing all the time, not fixed
• muffled - of sounds: not loud because of a wrapping or some other sort of blocking; muted

First read the assignment. Next watch the video. Take notes to help you do the assignment.

1. What is “thundersnow”?


2. What is the tricky part for making thundersnow happen?


3. Can you hear the thunder clearly during thundersnow? Explain your answer.

Extra reading assignment

1. Read this article about all sorts of winter storms.
2. List all the weather phenomena described in the article.
3. Find a picture and/or video of each weather phenomenon.

Fun fact: While this post is being written, actual thundersnow is happening outside.