Lake-effect snowstorms in northern Utah and western New York with and witho
ut lightning/thunder are examined. Lake-effect snowstorms with lightning ha
ve significantly higher temperatures and dewpoints in the lower troposphere
and significantly lower lifted indices than lake-effect snowstorms without
lightning. In contrast, there is little difference in dewpoint depressions
between events with and without lightning. Surface-to-700-hPa temperature
differences (a surrogate for lower-tropospheric lapse rate) for events with
and without lightning differ significantly for events in northern Utah, bu
t nor for those in western New York. Nearly all events have no convective a
vailable potential energy, regardless of the presence of lightning. These r
esults are discussed in the context of current models of storm electrificat
ion.