Many Wisconsin residents are reporting instances of thunder and lightning as Thursday's winter storm sweeps through the state. Is that for real?

WISC-TV meteorologist Karin Swanson has a description of this unusual weather phenomena.

Swanson said that "thundersnow" is fairly uncommon.

"This is something that occurs when we have a big snowstorm like this one," she said. "Typically, when we see/hear thundersnow, the thundersnow will be accompanied by heavy snow with high snowfall rates.

"For instance, it isn't out of the question to get a good 2 to 3 inches of snow very quickly when we have thundersnow," she said.

As for being dangerous, Swanson said, "It's just as dangerous as a summertime thunderstorm, and people should take the same types of precautions."