Thundersnow phenomenon hits Suffolk and Norfolk

While Suffolk and Norfolk experienced snow showers last night, people in Lowestoft witnessed a particularly unusual phenomenon. Watch the video here.

People in Lowestoft experienced thundersnow at around 10pm last night.

As the name suggests, thundersnow is essentially a storm wherein precipitation takes the form of snow, rather than rain.

The phenomenon is rare, as thunderstorms are more prevalent in the summer months, but they are caused in the same way, as a result of a warm pocket of air colliding with colder air above.

The storm itself can be quite different to a normal thunderstorm though.

The thunder during a thundersnow storm can not be heard over as great a distance, as the snow on the ground acts as a sound buffer, meaning you have to be very close to the lightning to hear the thunder.

Conversely, the lightning during a thundersnow storm appears much brighter, as it reflects back off falling snow and can often have a dazzling effect.

Twitter user @tomiiboii posted a video of thundersnow which impressed Weatherquest forecaster Dan Holley - watch it here.