SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) – You may have heard of the phenomenon known as “thundersnow.”

But have you ever heard of “thundersleet?”

Springfield radio station KTTS reports that’s a problem now in southwest Missouri, where the winter storm that’s dumping huge amounts of snow in the north is bringing sleet and ice to the south.

In “thundersnow” events, thunderstorms form higher in the atmosphere where temperatures are warmer. That rain turns to snow before reaching the ground, with the above thunderstorm pushing the precipitation down with extra intensity.

Today, that precipitation is becoming sleet across portions of southwest Missouri, and it’s causing concerns about collecting on power lines.

So far, only a handful of power outages have been reported.

© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.