Winter '14 / '15 - Public Service Announcement: Blizzard Defined

NYC - Brooklyn Bridge

"4.2 Blizzard.

A blizzard means ... the following conditions are expected to prevail for ... 3 hours or longer.

 

"(1)  Sustained wind or frequent gusts to 35 miles an hour (30 knots) or greater; and

 

"(2)  considerable falling and/or blowing snow (... reducing visibility frequently to less than 1/4 mile).

 

"Although there is no set temperature requirement for blizzard conditions, the life-threatening nature of the low temperatures in combination with the other hazardous conditions of wind, snow, and poor visibility increases dramatically when the temperature falls below 20°."

 

REF:  National Weather Service Operations Manual

 

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Blizzards have high winds?

Yes!

 

Blizzards have low visibilities?

Yes!

 

Blizzards have heavy snow?

Not so much.

 

Note the National Weather Service's (NWS) o-fookin'ficial blizzard definition has no explicit or implicit reference to snowfall amounts.

 

Note also the snow responsible for restricting the visibility does not even have to be falling from clouds.

The snow responsible for restricting the visibility just has to be blowin'around!

 

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Blizzards are wind storms.

Blizzards are not necessarily snow storms

 

Blizzard is a meteorological phenomenon where the forward visibility at the surface is severely restricted by the combination of high wind speed and falling or blowing snow.

 

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Yo ... morans.
Stop the Stupid

It burns.