thundersnow
n.— «The storm did come with a novelty act as residents were treated to a rare meteorological phenomenon called thundersnow, which is caused from the upward motion of a cold front when temperatures are near freezing. And that thunder folks heard on Friday morning was nearby, for the snowfall acts as an acoustic suppressor of the thunder. » —“Snow surprise” by Bob Fenske Forest City Summit (Iowa) Nov. 14, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
After our conversation about towns with extremely short names, many listeners wrote to tell us about Why, Arizona. Others pointed out that there are towns called Ely in Iowa, Minnesota, and Nevada. Other super-short appellations include Rye, New...
Debbie from Keokuk, Iowa, shares a funny story about her family’s tradition of speed-cleaning the house if guests were coming over. Her mother would declare, “Quick, guys! Whited sepulchre approach!” Her use of the term whited...