Snow Microburst - State College, PA 2-19-22

Finally uploading this insane snow squall from PSU last year! We went to the top of the west deck parking garage to get a better view. I've never seen such a defined wall of snow on the leading edge of a squall before! Looking back at the footage, we all believe this was a cold convection microburst. You can see very clearly at 0:48 that the snow is fanning out both right and left, and there is a bulge in the center where the snow is approaching faster than to the sides of it. Doppler velocity also depicted an area of enhanced wind near our location. It's an extremely fascinating case!
Here are some stats for the squall:
- Temperatures dropped from 33F just before the squall to 25F during it (recorded on my Kestrel).
- The Walker building recorded a 35 mph sustained wind and gusted to 45 mph.
- Only ~20 minutes passed from the moment the snow wall hit, to when the sun came out again.
I hope I get to experience another snow squall like this again sometime. It was really fun!!
Contacts:
Twitter: / stormin13norman
Twitch: / storminorman_
Email: [e-mail]
To explain why I think this was a microburst:
Theoretically, you can have a microburst in ANY convection, even within snow squalls! There is a real case for this being a weak microburst, as you can see the classic "spreading out" motion well at 0:57 onward (and a "bowing" shape to the wall of snow at 2:50), depicting an area of locally larger negative buoyancy (sinking air). The air within a microburst is colder than the surrounding environment, and I measured an 8°F temperature drop in a matter of minutes, right around when the 45mph wind gust occurred. Getting more technical, ERA5 reanalysis soundings suggest DCAPE was on the order of 46 J/kg, and while that isn't nearly as large of a value as you’d see in a summer thunderstorm, it is not zero; large enough for instances of locally intense downdrafts, aka microbursts. DownT also suggests this was a microburst. "DownT is an estimate of the surface temperature within the core of a saturated downdraft." It was estimated to be 27F in the reanalysis sounding, and I recorded 25F in the core of the snow squall!
Here's a great time lapse of the squall that my friend Sam took (who's also in this video): • Microburst from Severe...

[@storminorman315]

I’ve seen a lot of comments saying this wasn’t a microburst, but theoretically, you can have a microburst in ANY convection, even within snow squalls! Severe convection is my area of expertise in graduate school, so I just added a little scientific explanation in the video description as to why I (and a few others) thought this was a weak microburst. Feel free to ask more about it in the comments, it's very fascinating imo! :)

[@carisaunders2346]

I grew up in SW Ontario, CA, on the northern coast of Lake Erie, then moved to Lambton County on the south coast of Lake Huron. The Great Lakes basin can be dangerous snow squalls from any direction. Beautiful beaches, though!

[@EncrypticMethods]

awesome footage, I bet that was a rush. I will say I was expecting you to yell "WITNESS MEEE"

[@jts12fan]

I can sort of agree that it was a weak microburst, although it’s really difficult to say 100% because they normally occur in thunderstorms with much more intense updrafts and the downburst is normally much stronger as well. Again it’s difficult to say, not saying you’re wrong, just a tough call. Regardless, that is super super cool!!!! Liked and subscribed!

[@james09176]

Whats a mirdoburst?

[@jts12fan]

That’s definitely a beautiful snow squall.

[@Mars0984]

Meteorology by degree here…. That is an impressive cell. A lot of snow fell in a short period of time. On a smaller scale that was absolutely a microburst. Great capture

[@fbiagentmiyakohoshino8223]

and thats what we call a snow squall (the nws has dedicated warnings for those)

[@celia6564]

I am 63 years old and i have NEVER seen anything like that. It looked like a snownado. Appreciation to the young men for braving the cold and wind to capture that and share it. Thank you fellows.

[@terrycain3843]

What part of the country are you in? I’m 55 live in southern Ohio and have seen these many times,clear one second and then white out hits.20 minutes later the sun is out.Crazy weather that’s for sure.

[@Boibepa]

Aqui no Brasil tem acontecido com frequência o que foi chamado de "nuvem bomba" : em poucos minutos chove uma quantidade extraordinária de água, inundando e destruindo tudo pelo caminho. Tenho 57 anos e nunca tinha visto fenômenos climáticos como os que estão acontecendo agora, além de um sensível aumento do número de fortes ventanias (a última contabilizou rajadas de 150km/h) e marés muito agressivas.

[@kathytanksley653]

I’m 69 and have NEVER witnessed anything like that…WOW‼️

[@Staniel_]

got to appreciate just how cold that moving front really was. when cold air wants to move, it MOVES.

[@lifeintornadoalley]

Because cold air sinks... Basic 2nd grade science

[@Staniel_]

@@lifeintornadoalley it’s giving Dunning Kruger

[@jeffstepp-ou8re]

I love severe weather. Nothing bores more than a blue sky day.

[@jacoblaryea7594]

Same because every time it is a sunny day its nice weather but not exciting weather to me the only thing that can make the weather exciting for me is getting pounded by extreme storms next week Tuesday through has rain and wind that is also what im happy for

[@FaalKoriim]

I love how excited and awed y'all sounded. 🥺

[@MarkWaller2]

Thanks for recording and posting this - it's a fascinating and very unusual snow event.

[@darceylopez6065]

Thanks for the video. Weather education is absolutely fascinating to me. I’m glad you were in an area where you could stay safe!

[@FriendlyKat]

Now I have heard of microbursts, but never snow microbursts! That's insane! It was like a whiteout!

[@bobbiecolonna8802]

One of PSU’s white outs.

[@tigergreg8]

As a child, we had rain on one side of the house, and not on the other. I guess most things have a beginning and end.

[@storminorman315]

It's really crazy how localized heavy rain and snow can be. Even the width of your house can make a difference in how much you get!

[@shafwandito4724]

I once got that in my neighborhood. The neighbor house right in front of us got light rain, meanwhile ours still dry.

[@s_bt_iwtf]

Weather nerds in freak weather is 10/10 content

[@CT-vm4gf]

Thanks for filming horizontally 😊 my human eyes appreciate it!

[@EthanBWeather]

That is spectacular, thank you for sharing this! I wish I could experience something like that.

[@boydfamily1705]

What an incredible weather event!!! And you all are just awesome - your commentary totally enhances the viewer experience 😃 Also appreciate the educational description, super interesting. Thanks for sharing! 💨❄️

[@section8usmc53]

It wasn't spinning. It was spreading out and gave it that appearance. This happens often in thunderstorms as well. You get winds that gust faster than the rest of the front, and as it pushes further out, it starts expanding to the sides as well.

[@HatsuneMiku3D]

Snow squall, these are fairly common and can generate thundersnow. Usually with these types of system you have a warzone, with one side being much warmer and rain, then as cold air plunges down from the north and collides creating a basically a wall of snow, Usually accompanied by strong winds too. These squalls can be very dangerous especially for drivers, and anyone caught outside unprepared. I was caught outside by one of theses in the late 80s, a few hours before the storm it was fairly warm for January, then walking home it came on very quickly and within less than 20 minutes, it has dropped 8" of snow and blizzard like conditions and had to walk home in it, it wasn't far but in those conditions it felt like hours.

[@WYO_Dirtbag]

You get these up here in N. CO/WY. Yeah bad to be driving when one hits.

[@brinnyrblx5703]

There appears to be a lightning flash at 3:10

[@PersonausdemAll]

Its good that you are well ❤️

[@kleetus92]

I experienced that once as a kid as well in the early 80's ... just got dropped off from the school bus and was walking home It dumped easy 2-3 inches of snow on us and we only had about a mile walk on a paved road, but visibility was literally zero. I could see to my feet and that was about it. I was in 5th grade I think so its not like I was 6 2 like I am now... only way I could navigate and get the other kids with me back to our houses was to skirt the side of the road where the snow was plowed up it was the only constant we could see, keep your left foot trudging in the plowed stuff and just go with it.

[@eastofrussianfederationilo8263]

А это сколько в сантиметрах?

[@deeanderson4440]

WOW! What a catch! Great job getting that on camera. I have never seen anything like that before. It looked like it dumped quite a bit of snow in a very short time. Thank you for sharing it with us.

[@ricopyro9282]

I have driven in intense snowfall rates between 5 & 7 inches per hour. Lake-Effect squall - in the end, dropped 4" at my house and around 6" at my workplace. It lasted less than an hour. Unlike that shown in this video, there was very little wind involved, just enough to condense the snow band to produce optimal snowfall rates.

[@deeanderson4440]

@@ricopyro9282 wow! I have never experienced anything like that. Only seen it on video. Looks quite intense.

[@Mustang7120]

This is the kind of weather that makes you understand why you should keep warm clothes and a blanket in your car.

[@lindablackmore]

I've never heard of this or seen it! It's like one of those sand storms in the deserts! Absolutely breathtaking! Thank you for sharing! ❤

[@kamelhaj6850]

This brings back memories of when I lived in Buffalo! Amazing how fast this storm moved (I actually thought this video was sped up). Good vantage point to catch the entire squall.

[@danielledegeorge2129]

I was born and still live in Buffalo. Nothing like a beautiful, wild snow squall!

[@hebneh]

I wasn't sure either if the approaching wall of snow was speeded up or in real time, because it was so fast. I checked the movements of the people on the right to confirm it was actual speed.

[@danielledegeorge2129]

I've seen this in Buffalo NY a few times since I was a kid. It's just spectacular! PS- my grandma would've been yelling at you guys, "where's your hats?!" 😁

[@qwasd0r]

I'd LOVE to experience something like this in person. I love harsh, snowy weather.

[@Lv-nq9qz]

Snow microburst: wow, majestic, so pretty, I love winter. Regular microburst: RUUUUUNNN!!

[@billymoore7182]

Yeah, a regular Microburt can be extremely dangerous. I saw one a few years back and cause a lot of damage in a short period of time. A Microburt can be just as bad as a Tornado if not worse.

[@LivB4uDie]

Awesome video. Love the snow! Also, it's refreshing to watch young people record something without swearing every second. Good kids

[@RS-ms1bz]

I experienced one back in the mid 80s. It came in out of nowhere with lightning and thunder. It was 43 degrees right before it came through and dropped to 21 degrees within a couple minutes. It snowed for 15 minutes and 3" fell. Everything froze up almost instantly. It literally looked as though someone was waving a white sheet right in front of your face.

[@tarenbaldivia3206]

I saw this once in my life in Estes Park CO. It was incredible, I know it might be hard to believe but the visibility was even worse, like 20-30 feet. we got an inch of snow in about 5 minutes! The even weirder part about it was it was the last normal day of high school before Covid shut everything down.

[@IstasPumaNevada]

That was wild! Glad you caught it on video, and thanks for sharing it!

[@catgray1]

I'm 59, and was born and raised in New England, and I've never seen a snow microburst. That was very cool. Thanks for catching it on video!

[@Dylanowich]

THANK YOU someone finally recognizes the snow microbursts.

[@eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeoeeeeeeeeeee]

As soon as I saw this video title I remembered the exact day my junior year, went from sunny to no vis in seconds. This is the coolest capture of that squall I've seen, glad this popped up in my recommended!

[@paultruesdale7680]

Really cool video, weather can be very exciting. Thanks for taking the time to document it. Seasons greetings 👍

[@80fcollins]

That was awesome... thanks for sharing. I was expecting a white walker to come outta the trees at any minute...LoL

[@johnmurphy7108]

Almost exactly what happened over here in Southwest Ohio a couple days ago. Though not a microburst, it was a sudden wall of snow accompanied by lightning, went from just cloudy skies to whiteout in seconds

[@birdienellis1677]

I have watched snow come off Lake Erie but never have I seen such a sight as this.totally amazing.great video guys.

[@punishedexistence]

I had a similar situation back in 1995, I used to live west of Cleveland and I remember it was right after Thanksgiving...a very potent lake effect storm was going on and though most of the snow was going to my east, one lone cell rode the lakeshore and became particularly convective for a snow squall. I grabbed my VHS-c camera and headed out to film the encounter and it looked somewhat similar to this. Just a wall of white and though it only lasted maybe 10 minutes easily 3 inches of heavy wet snow fell so it fell at a rate of 18 inches per hour! I've seen a lot of lake effect snow storms and snow in general but that one stands out as one of thee most intense snowfalls I've ever seen. I still have the video somewhere. It's just this video reminded me so much of that! Thank you for sharing this! Excellent work! 😊

[@xanderunderwoods3363]

I seen these happen up here in Alaska, they are quite fun to watch approach you.

[@5teen914]

Imagine you went inside to study or something for a few minutes and come outside to everything covered in snow LOL

[@epsilonarcaneresearch1945]

**comes into class room covered in snow and soaking wet after a blizzard** "Hey steve was it cold out there?" "Glenn shut the fuck up before I toss your ass outside to find out!"

[@storminorman315]

We saw a few unfortunate students walking outside when it hit! Thank goodness it was a Saturday though, because it hit EXACTLY at a class change time. That would have been pure chaos...

[@mnstrenrgy839]

"you've heard of dust devil now prepare for snow devil!" Love that guy.

[@snowwhite7571]

Absolutely fascinating! Thank you for sharing!

[@ofproximity9146]

I was in Bellefont PA when this exact event happened. My ex and I were out for a walk that morning and were completely baffled by how quick this came and went. The locals there referred to it as a squall, never heard them say microburst

[@ericj.gonzalez]

What an awesome experience 🌬❄️🌨

[@Titanusgojira54]

Awesome wish we got stuff like this in north carolina

[@draggy6544]

@@davidwalton3604slow down its not that bad road conditions don’t deteriorate that quickly.

[@draggy6544]

@@davidwalton3604 i live in the ohio snow belt we get this type of changeable condition very often. Its never a big deal for the locals we just slow down and keep driving slowly. Now if a beefy band parks over an area and road crew cant keep up is when u have issues

[@draggy6544]

@@davidwalton3604 yep ohio snowbelt averages over 100 inches a year and on heavy years nearly 200 inches

[@draggy6544]

@@davidwalton3604 i have gone from sunshine to whiteout conditions within minutes more times than i can remember

[@storminorman315]

My thoughts go out to anyone in the south who doesn't get to experience heavy snow like this. Although, I wouldn't mind warmer weather in the winter on the particular frigid days hahaha

[@motherfuckerjones3854]

Reminds me a lot of 2007’s The Mist.

[@firefighter343]

I freaking love weather nerds who are as enthusiastic about weather as I am. The joy and excitement in their voices is like a kid at Chuck E. Cheese for the first time. *"WHO TURNED OFF THE SUN?!"* 😂📸🤘🌀😁🌪️🎥🌂🌦️✊

[@odinmaximus5768]

That was so incredibly impressive. Thank you.

[@ct79]

Pretty darn cool, thanks for sharing.

[@plicketyplunk]

Just stunning! Thank you!

[@justaguy5384]

When my uncle and I went hunting last year, we were in a mountain range trying to locate a small group of deer. We were sitting up on the base of a mountain, under some trees, and after about 2 hours of sitting there, we saw a wall of white heading towards us from the valley, and it looked exactly like this video. It dropped about 6 inches of snow in 45 minutes, and we almost got lost on our way back to our vehicle 😂

[@user-jv9ys6vn3f]

Amazing, I've never seen a snow microburst from a distance on video coming " Directly at You". Real lucky guys. Great video.

[@sapphirerain70]

That was so cool! Thank you so much!😊❤

[@donaldbrown7252]

good job filming video well!

[@dandychiki]

This is my first time hearing about this weather occurrence, looks like something straight out of a movie

[@karenschunk2192]

Wonderful capture. Thank you!

[@johns.8808]

This was awesome. Thanks for "weathering" the storm for us.

[@awonderfulfeeling8588]

That's amazing 🌬🌨❄️

[@3dplanet100]

That's really beautiful and exciting. Snow squalls is like a strong, sudden mini blizzard! I can imagine if, instead of a locally microburst, if a nor'easter with that intensity, it would be a historic storm, with feet of snow!

[@DogEDog2023]

This looks very similar to how "The Children's Blizzard" of 1888 was described in the book of the same name. Pretty interesting read where an intensely cold winter gave way to a very relieving January thaw in the midwest. Thousands of students from several states woke up to a warm day and decided to go to school, many without even a jacket. Without any warning, a dark grey wall appeared on the horizon and swiftly engulfed everything in its path and dropping temperatures to the negative 20s. Where it differs from this squall is how the snow is described as a "fine ice dust" that nearly took your breath away from breathing in. It was a particularly intense front that wasn't really a microburst or a squall. They call it the Childrens Blizzard because of how many children died in it, about 235. The snow was so blinding and the wind so intense, that many could not find their ways back home, some even getting lost after only taking a few steps outside. This video just made me think of that.

[@skywardguy9081]

That, my friends, is a snow squall! Haven't seen one of those in years! WOO HOO!!

[@franosbornblaschke3694]

Very cool! Thanks for capturing the event. : )

[@leonbrooks7734]

I hope and pray I get to see this in person as a snow lover!! Great video guys!! 🎉

[@misterb6416]

That is literally one of the coolest things I've ever seen, amazing. Where I live we don't have snow but about once every 2 decades or so. I've never actually been someplace when it was snowing so this is just amazing to me. I would love to experience something like this before I die.

[@jimbotron70]

Move to the Northern emisphere...

[@abpob6052]

That was a cool weather phenomenon to see. Thanks for the vid!

[@mateocafe45]

I was in one of those once in my life in New Jersey. It's like a short-lived blizzard. Lasted about 30 minutes but left snow on the ground. It was above freezing before it hit.

[@noddey]

02:40 i was expecting the groke from moomin valley to appear. instant flashbacks from some childhood trauma, the windy noise and everything.

[@ivancoley11]

It really does look like a supercell 😮

[@storminorman315]

I know right?!! We were all STUNNED by the structure on it!

[@MarkMclaughlin-qm8kq]

A micro burst is a sudden push of downward winds i was in one once winds hit 110 mph i was parked at grocery store thought i was gonna die. My town had trees down roofs damaged and those big marquee signs twisted like a pretzel. thanks for video that definitely was cool to see enjoy the snow

[@sonwig5186]

Thats amazing I've never seen any weather like that!

[@bbice1546]

Thanks for sharing guys. That was awesome. Too bad no one had a drone. That would of been even cooler 😎 still, great capture 👍

[@rj-zz8im]

Too flippin awesome! You'll remember that one forever.

[@clarkkent5935]

Thanks! Love ❤ it!

[@weather_01]

Great video!

[@lindsayhalk187]

I got so excited when I saw that this happened in State College!

[@igorb81]

We had this in Erie PA very often when I lived there with lake effect snow squalls. It's just like a wall of snow that is like total whiteout typically more than 3 inches an hour

[@brendaeaves1079]

This Was So Cool Too See😊Plus It Was Awe Inspiring Also😊Thanks For Sharing❤

[@nicksepulvado]

That is awesome! I saw something similar in Minnesota, complete with thunder and lightning. Thanks for sharing.

[@lisahumphries3898]

Wow. That was cool. Thanks for sharing, I’ve never seen anything like that before.

[@matthewdepaola2603]

Hi Nick…funny how your video made it to my KZbin feed, without any context. Thought I’d leave a comment. Hope all is well.

[@loonyboo1]

this is INCREDIBLE!!! ive never seen anything like it! :)

[@HoustonGamerTVHGTV]

Microburst produce downdraft winds as high as 6000 feet per minute. That would be equivalent to if you were to pick up your car and drop it and it hit the ground at 65 mph. Microbursts happen from the thunderstorm collapsing on itself from drier air on the sides of it, and directly underneath the cloud gets all the downdrafts, it’s very similar to an upside explosion.

[@reyalonsagay]

This is a cool phenomenon in winter. How much snow can you get from a snow squall? A few inches?

[@natskar]

Not sure. But I did get a couple inches from a in like 45 minutes after a snow squall came through once

[@catz_crazy6672]

Snow squalls are usually pretty quick i usually get around an inch or 2

[@Lv-nq9qz]

They are narrow, quick moving storms that usually bring in a major temperature change, they only last an hour or so at the most and depending on how powerful they are can drop about 1-3 inches quickly. It might not stick though if the fround temp is too warm

[@Weathernation420]

​@@catz_crazy6672I had one here at lake in South Central VA lasted 1.5 hrs and dumped 4 inches

[@storminorman315]

@@Lv-nq9qz Yep, you stated it very well! In RARE cases, I have heard of snow squalls dropping more than 3 inches, even in the short span of less than an hour, but almost every case will be how you described!

[@DBL_U_D]

Never seen that before, that was awesome

[@jumboon]

Beautiful!!! Years ago I witnessed something similar but plus lightning and thunders, in Dublin Ireland.

[@levimaynard2237]

The fact that its not time lapse is absolutely amazing. Damn.

[@ezweber_the_great]

We had a winter storm like this last year in Northern Minnesota. I was outside working when it hit and I counted 2 lightning strikes. It was crazy.

[@onetrueslave]

That was awesome, great job!

[@skylilly1]

Great catch !❄️🌬️

[@starguard4122]

That was TOTALLY AWESOME!!!

[@Mixer-he2wb]

My wife is from Buffalo. My first winter driving i90 .. if you see a flurry, hazards on and light brake to slow, prepare to be in whiteout. By the end of the sentence you're in whiteout. But that's lake effect. Still an impressive video. That's what it feels like I drove into.

[@MisterWhatWhat]

That was awesome to see! Reminds me of when I lived in Colorado, miss that state!

[@tdelam]

We get those often around here but it's lake effect off of the great lakes. It comes in multiple bursts like this. It's impressive to see this without any great lakes near by!

[@user-xs9yk4ly9o]

I got to experience one of these in the Charlotte, NC area in February 2013. 3.5” of snow fell in about an hour and fifteen minutes. It literally was like a line of spring thunderstorms going through, only with snow

[@oscarc8549]

Wow! That's insane!

[@kayprivate2720]

Eerily beautiful. I want snow so bad.

[@anthonypranckevicus2417]

Would have loved to be in Buffalo New York November 2014 to experience 6 inch an hour lake effect snow squalls. Accumulations totaled around 7 feet after the 4 day event. Absolutely incredible!!!

[@zanebandy3380]

To see snow or rain come in like this always facinates me. Such an awesome experience. Never seen it with snow.. So Jealous!

[@DeviousWeaselUK]

This is so cool! I didn’t know this could happen, then again living in south west England, I don’t see much snow anyway ☹️ thank you for sharing your video

[@skyclimber3934]

❄🌪 very cool!

[@RH-ib7bg]

That is so damn cool. So much more pleasant than a tornado. Haha

[@Religious_man]

Well that was weird but fascinating. I can't tell which kind of microburst is worse.

[@kennethwallace4338]

From where im at, never seen one, just looks terrifying. Excellent video.