Jason Jenkins
Senior Information Specialist
573-882-2980
JenkinsJL@missouri.edu
Dec. 5, 2002
Though rare, 'thundersnow' can pose a threat
to Missourians, says MU atmospheric scientist
"Though they are a relatively rare occurrence, "thundersnow" events are capable of producing record-setting snowfalls that can bury cities for days," said Patrick Market, assistant professor of atmospheric science. "While our ability to forecast these events has improved in the past decade, more still needs to be learned to improve public safety."
Market and MU graduate student Angela Oravetz are studying thundersnow events in order to establish a climatology -- a profile of where, when and how often these snowfalls occur. To do so, they have analyzed 30 years of surface data collected from more than 220 weather stations in the United States as well as upper air data from about 90 stations in North America where weather balloons are launched.
According to their analysis, about one in four thundersnow events is accompanied by significantly heavy snowfall. These include storms such as the one in 1994 that shut down Louisville, Ky., for three days, or the one in 1995 that buried Columbia in more than 19 inches of snow in 24 hours, closing school and businesses.
Because of its infrequency and tendency to occur in narrow bands, often less than 50 miles wide, few have studied thundersnow in great detail. However, the researchers have learned that thundersnow events are quite similar to their summer counterparts.
"To make any thunderstorm, you need three things: moisture, lift and instability," Market said. "When the right combination of these ingredients come together in summer, you get a thunderstorm. When they come together in winter, you get thundersnow."
Among the questions still unanswered is whether or not thundersnow always occurs in bands and whether or not it forms by convection, or the rising of warm air. Market hopes to answer some of these questions with a field study. He has submitted a funding proposal to the National Science Foundation to establish such a project.
Using the climatology they've established, Market and his team would monitor winter weather and watch for systems that have strong potential to produce thundersnow. Then, similar to researchers who chase tornadoes, the MU "snow chasers" would travel to the potential site. Should a thundersnow event occur, they would launch special weather balloons during the storm to sample the clouds and collect data.
"Usually you wouldn't want to get snowed in at some hotel far away from home, but that's exactly what we'll be trying to do," Market said. "Waiting to be dug out following the storm might not be the most enjoyable way to spend three days, but if we can develop a basic understanding of these events for meteorologists and provide them with a forecasting regimen to increase warning time and improve public safety, it will be time well spent."
Source: Patrick Market (573) 882-1496
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