The forecasts called for periods of snow Friday in the St. Louis region. It fell much faster and much heavier than anyone expected. It also included the rare event of “thunder snow.”
Across the bi-state region, about five to six inches of snow fell from mid-morning until mid-afternoon Friday. The biggest problem on the roads occurred on I-70 near Warrenton. A crash/pileup on westbound 70 backed up traffic for miles and for hours. Semi trucks could be seen parked along I-70. KMOX has received no reports of injuries.
As for the rumbles of thunder heard throughout the area Friday afternoon, meteorologist Lydia Jaja said you need several factors in place to get thunder and lightning during a snowstorm.
“You need really good forcing and cooling in the upper levels of the atmosphere,” she said. “That way, storms can grow upscale and produce lightning.”
