It may no longer be April Fool’s Day, but it seems Mother Nature wanted to keep the party going with a freak snow / freezing rain / thunderstorm weather event this afternoon.
Environment Canada issued a freezing rain warning with chance of thunderstorms, with up to 50 millimeters of precipitation expected from Wednesday into Thursday morning.
Snow began battering the city and accumulating on streets and sidewalks around 1 p.m., turning to a mix of snow and ice pellets. Rumbling thunderstorms followed, creating a rare meteorological event known as “thundersnow”.
Flashes of lightning were also reported on social media during the winter storm, resulting in a truly unusual occurrence.
According to experts, thundersnow occurs when snow serves as the main form of precipitation during a storm, rather than rain. Similar to a traditional thunderstorm, thundersnow features both thunder and lightning.
Due to the high concentration of ice crystals in the air, the lightning often appears as blue flashes. The snow also muffles the sound of thunder, so if you heard what sounded like a low-flying airplane earlier, that’s likely what you heard.
Thankfully, the freezing rain is expected to transition to normal rain this evening, before swinging to a high of 18 degrees tomorrow in a remarkable whiplash of spring weather.
Toronto residents are warned to be careful in today’s shifting conditions, and roads and sidewalks are especially slippery with the freezing rain on top of today’s earlier snow fall.