Meteorologist Stevie Daniels is busting one of the biggest weather myths…a blizzard! A blizzard is not defined by how much snow falls. You could have a blizzard with very little snow—and a huge snowstorm that is not a blizzard.
wmar
To officially be a blizzard, 3 things have to happen:
- Strong winds sustained or frequent gusts 35 mph or higher
- Blowing or falling snow. Snow can be falling or already on the ground getting blown around.
- And visibility is reduced to a quarter of a mile or less.
And all of these things, have to last for at least 3 hours.
Blowing snow is so dangerous because roads disappear, you can’t see cars, signs, or even buildings. Whiteout conditions make it easy to get disoriented.
Think of it like this:
A snowstorm equals how MUCH
A blizzard is how HARD it is to SEE
So if you hear “blizzard warning”, that’s your cue: this is about dangerous travel and visibility- not just how many inches are on the ruler.
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