But what exactly is thundersnow?
According to the Met Office, the UK’s national meteorological service, thundersnow occurs when “thunderstorms form in wintry conditions,” resulting in heavy snow downpours, which are often referred to as thundersnow.
“Thundersnow is unusual only because it can only occur in a few months of the year,” the Met Office explains.
In terms of its appearance, the service describes: “When thundersnow occurs at night, the lightning appears brighter as the light reflects off the snowflakes.”
They further note: “Interestingly, the snow within the thunderstorm dampens the sound of thunder. While thunder from a typical storm can be heard miles away, thunder during a thundersnow event is only heard if you are within 2 to 3 miles of the lightning.”
This might explain why the meteorologist was so enthusiastic, as he realized the lightning was very close. It’s part of his job, so naturally, he was excited.
“Was that another? No, it wasn’t, that was the flash,” Cantore says, just before hearing thunder in the distance as lightning strikes nearby.
“Yes it was!”
“See! See! I told you! We just had it again,” he exclaims.
“Guys, that’s number seven, that’s number seven. Thundersnow here in Kansas City, now we’ve had a couple of bolts. This is the energy coming up again from the south, and what’s really interesting, notice we can’t even see the city now, it’s all like a white-out.”
“So the visibility has gone down, the snow intensity has increased. Think about it, when you’re in rain, a lot of times during a thunderstorm, it’s heavier precipitation, and that’s exactly what’s happening here.”
“The same thing is occurring here, but above the cold air, so it’s all frozen. That’s what’s happening here in Kansas City. Woo!”
The clip of Cantore’s reaction was shared on Twitter, with his infectious enthusiasm resonating with over 800,000 people.