A rare thundershow event has taken place in Scotland. And alarmed locals contacted police, thinking they had heard bombs going off. The phenomenon happens when thunder and lightning mix with a heavy snowstorm—sometimes causing loud claps that can be confused with explosions.

One person described it as a loud boom, similar to a plane crash. Another person was woken up in the middle of the night by what he thought was early construction work starting. The noise was powerful enough to shake buildings and set off car alarms. The police were flooded with many calls from the public. And they sent out a message asking people to remain calm. The police assured everyone that it was just thunder and lightning rather than some military exercise. The weather was the coldest it had been for the season, so people were warned to be careful when traveling outside. In particular, dangerous conditions such as icy roads or wet ground could cause difficulty for drivers. The rail service also announced potential disruptions to trains due to the deep snow. Some roads were also closed because of the severe weather.

Q5: What do we learn about thundersnows from the report?
Q6: What did the police do when they received the local residents’ phone calls?
Q7: What were people advised to do when traveling outside?