Before finding out if there is a thunderstorm in winter, it is necessary to determine what exactly is this natural phenomenon, what causes it and without which it is impossible in principle.
Causes of a Thunderstorm
For the formation of a thunderstorm front, three main components are needed: moisture, pressure drop, as a result of which a thundercloud forms, and powerful energy. The main source of energy is the celestial sun, which releases energy when condensed steam. Due to the fact that in winter there is a lack of sunlight and heat, such energy cannot be generated sufficiently.
The next component is moisture, but due to freezing air, precipitation is observed in the form of snow. When spring arrives, the air temperature becomes higher, and a significant amount of moisture is formed in the air, sufficient for the formation of a thunderstorm. In general, the more it is in the air, the greater the electric discharge of lightning.
An equally important component is pressure, the drops of which during the cold winter period also rarely occur. For its formation, two opposing air flows are needed - warm and cold. Cold air prevails near the surface of the earth in winter, which hardly warms up, so when faced with the same cold air in the upper layers there is not a sufficient pressure jump. Based on all this, the objective possibility of a thunderstorm in winter is practically impossible.
However, in recent years, the Earth is not going through its best times, due to human life and other likely sources of exposure. The climate is undergoing changes, we often began to observe a protracted autumn with positive air temperature and there is a real opportunity in the future to observe real thunderstorms and heavy rains in winter.
Snow Thunder in Russia
There is such a thing as a snow or snow storm, but this phenomenon is extremely rare and occurs mainly on the shores of large ice-free reservoirs: seas and lakes. In Russia, snowstorms most often occur in Murmansk, approximately once a year. However, this atmospheric phenomenon, although rare, can be observed in the European part of Russia. For example, they were recorded in Moscow in the first winter month in 2006, and twice and once on January 19, 2019.
In southern territories with a warm, humid climate, thunderstorms occur constantly, regardless of the time of year. Of course, rarely, but you can still observe this atmospheric phenomenon in winter in Russia. On the European and West Siberian territory of our country, thunderstorm fronts arise as a result of the penetration of cyclones coming from the warm seas. In this case, there is an increase in air temperature to positive, and when two streams of air meet - warm and cold from the north, thunderstorms occur.
Recently, there has been an increase in thunderstorm activity.Most often this phenomenon occurs in the first two months of winter - December and January. Thunderstorms are very short, they last only a few minutes and mostly occur when the air temperature is above 0 degrees, and only 3% is observed at low - from -1 to -9.
Thunder
Every year on February 2 comes the only day of the year when, according to popular beliefs, winter thunderstorms occur. Then a holiday is celebrated dedicated to the wife of the god Perun, her name is Dodola-Malanica, the goddess of lightning and feeding the children. In the old days, the Slavs glorified her for giving hope to people for the coming of spring.
