WASHINGTON (DC News Now) -- Thunder, lightning, and rain. That's a combo that's pretty standard across the country. Swap out the rain, and replace it with snow, and you have what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) describes as the "rare weather phenomenon" known as thundersnow. NOAA says the "ingredients" for thundersnow are similar to a thunderstorm: moisture, instability, and a lifting mechanism. In the case of thundersnow, the phenomenon occurs when there is "relatively strong instability and abundant moisture above the surface of the Earth, such as above a warm front." What is a snow squall warning? What to know about warnings, squalls, snow storms NOAA explains that air is unstable if it rises on its own after it gets a push from a cold front or warm front. It's unusual for that to happen when it's snowing because the air temperature in snowstorms normally is consistently cold at high and lower points in the atmosphere. That's the norm. NOAA says in some winter storms, "shallow layers of warm air are lifted and continue to rise on their own - increasing snowfall and causing enough electric charge separation for lightning to occur."