RICHMOND, Va. -- Did you hear it? Thundersleet struck during one of CBS 6 Chief Meteorologist Zach Daniel's live reports on CBS 6 News at 11 p.m. Friday.
"It's cold, but it's actually little warmer than it was earlier in the day. We down around 24-degrees at about 4 o'clock," Daniel said.
Next a bright flash can be seen behind Daniel seconds before a loud crack of thunder booms overhead.
"And that was a thundersleet that just happened right there," Daniel said. "A big strike of lightning just occurred, so we have thundersleet going on right here in Richmond. That just lit up the sky."
What is thundersleet?
Just like our other favorite phenomenon, thundersnow, it's basically a thunderstorm when the air is cold enough to produce sleet instead of rain.
Just like in the spring and summer, instability is created when the air above the ground is much colder than the air at the ground.
Many people reported hearing thundersleet as another round of winter weather hit Central Virginia Friday night. In fact, some folks called the WTVR CBS 6 newsroom because they thought a transformer had blown.