Thunder Snow
How many of you have seen it?
I have now!
I have now!
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It is actually thunder snowing here in the Cleveland area. Kind of a weird thing... I think I have only seen it two other times in my life in PA. It is really neat. 0 -
Seems I see thunder snow about 2 years for every five. Maybe less. It's pretty cool when it happens. We had it here in January (in eastern WA state). 0 -
The're not all that uncommon.
I used to be able to track the show-shower thunderstorms on radar. Not saying I can't anymore, but I'm retired. (FAA). Many years of weather training under my belt. I may still apply for a job at the local "WKRP style" newscast. Undecided. Involves a commute. (I live on a mountain). Best, Joe0 -
quote:Originally posted by givette
The're not all that uncommon.
I used to be able to track the show-shower thunderstorms on radar. Not saying I can't anymore, but I'm retired. (FAA). Many years of weather training under my belt. I may still apply for a job at the local "WKRP style" newscast. Undecided. Involves a commute. (I live on a mountain). Best, Joe
Well then piss on our parade already.[}:)][:D]
C'mon dude, tracking them on radar is one thing. How many times have you actually heard thunder when it was snowing outside? Maybe it's not that rare, but it's definitely uncommon enough to get most of the people I know excited when it happens.0 -
Common or not it is still very cool! 0 -
quote:Originally posted by spurgemastur
quote:Originally posted by givette
The're not all that uncommon.
I used to be able to track the show-shower thunderstorms on radar. Not saying I can't anymore, but I'm retired. (FAA). Many years of weather training under my belt. I may still apply for a job at the local "WKRP style" newscast. Undecided. Involves a commute. (I live on a mountain). Best, Joe
Well then piss on our parade already.[}:)][:D]
C'mon dude, tracking them on radar is one thing. How many times have you actually heard thunder when it was snowing outside? Maybe it's not that rare, but it's definitely uncommon enough to get most of the people I know excited when it happens.
No prob. What you say is correct. I'm all for some excitement in the mundane, within reason. And by the way..
I've flown through them twice. Edged around them many times. Lansa Airlines (Caribbean cargo). C46's (Curtiss Commando's). PIC (pilot in command). Not TSW's (thunderstorm-snow showers), but TRW (thunderstorm-rain showers). My FAA Airline Transport Pilot aviation certificate number is 2221063. Look it up. It's gotta be on the almighty web somewhere. Best, Joe0 -
quote:Originally posted by givette
quote:Originally posted by spurgemastur
quote:Originally posted by givette
The're not all that uncommon.
I used to be able to track the show-shower thunderstorms on radar. Not saying I can't anymore, but I'm retired. (FAA). Many years of weather training under my belt. I may still apply for a job at the local "WKRP style" newscast. Undecided. Involves a commute. (I live on a mountain). Best, Joe
Well then piss on our parade already.[}:)][:D]
C'mon dude, tracking them on radar is one thing. How many times have you actually heard thunder when it was snowing outside? Maybe it's not that rare, but it's definitely uncommon enough to get most of the people I know excited when it happens.
No prob. What you say is correct. I'm all for some excitement in the mundane, within reason. And by the way..
I've flown through them twice. Edged around them many times. Lansa Airlines (Caribbean cargo). C46's (Curtiss Commando's). PIC (pilot in command). Not TSW's (thunderstorm-snow showers), but TRW (thunderstorm-rain showers). My FAA Airline Transport Pilot aviation certificate number is 2221063. Look it up. It's gotta be on the almighty web somewhere. Best, Joe
I'm not going to look it up. I believe you. It sounds like you've had some exciting experiences and I'm sure a lot of us would be interested to hear about them. All I was saying was: thunder-snow is cool, even if it isn't the weirdest thing on the planet.
Let's get off this.
Give us a fun story about flying through that stuff. Most of us have done it as passengers but we have no idea what might be going on in the cockpit.0 -
About 10 days ago we had thunder storms that dropped light snow then 1\10 of an inch of pea sized hail. Global warming I guess? 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Zebra
About 10 days ago we had thunder storms that dropped light snow then 1\10 of an inch of pea sized hail. Global warming I guess?
or something.0 -
Spurge: givette here. The snow thunderstorms are generally "milder" than the rain ones (during the summer). It's all about the heat difference between the T-storm core during the two seasons, or the surrounding temps/stabilities of the air. But, I digress..
When you're "popeye" (flying IMC-in the clouds) it is refered to as flying inside the ping-pong ball. That's what it looks like during the day. However, during the night (during my two T-storm encounters) the first indication of thunderstorms is the incessant lightning "crackle" on the LF/MF radio (radio homing beacon-antenna looks like a "ring", sometimes a "football" on the older aircraft).
I remember being about 80-120 miles SSE of Tampa, FL I think 7,000 ft descending, when Miami center advised me of heavy rain on my airway for the next 30 miles or so. The only modern Nav I had on board was an ILS head, (Instrument Landing System) and a backup VOR. Yes, I was transponder equipped. (No mode "C" altitude encoding for you aviation types).
I asked center to stay at 7K. They asked for lower. I said 6K...ok. reason being, that I didn't want to get caught in a T-storm microburst, which is a downward push on the aircraft, and can force an aircraft into the ground. Gotta watch the airspeed carefully. A sudden jump in airspeed means you are entering the microburst area. The first impulse of an inexperienced pilot is to retard throttles to compensate (this usually happens on aproach, not cruise) and when the sink rate becomes severe, and with a high angle of attack, can be fatal. I told the other pilot in the right seat (Jimmy) to put on his sunglasses, as a precaution against lightning flash.
We got bumped, and bumped. Keep wings level. DON'T follow the altimeter with pitch changes. One blast of hail (I think). Heard the right #2 engine surge, and saw the ball skew off to the left. (Forgive me, but the "ball" is a little ball in the turn indicator that tells you you are balanced in flight, not flying sideways). It was momentary. Without adjusting prop, or throttle, the ball centered. It was an engine carb. momentary stall due to excessive rain? Or carb ice? I cracked the carb heat just a little, and didn't have that problem again.
Well, lo, and behold, center radars were not as "tuned" to moisture droplets as weather radars were. You can [at the time] be in a T-storm when center tells you it's just heavy rain.[:0][:0][:0]
Please don't get me wrong. Over thirty years has elapsed since my little event. ATC radars are now re-engineered/coupled with weather radars, and a weather radar "interpretor" is on hand to do the appropriate bad WX pointouts.
Obviously I landed safely. I was laid off in 1974-5 due to the fuel crunch. Not much profit for the cargo haulers flying to South America. Milled about for a few years, then got picked up by the FAA, and lasted 'till retirement. Best, Joe0 -
I've experienced thunder during snow storms(while on the ground) only twice in my life, and they were both when I lived in Euclid, Ohio - East side of Cleveland.
I think that it is one of the coolest things that Mother Nature does.
Doug0 -
Had them in Ontario as well....Usually in January...had a Jan thaw then it would happen...Seemed a bit odd but thats all....Expect anything in Nature... 0
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