Weather Wise Wednesday: Blizzards

Welcome to “Weather Wise Wednesday”! Today I’m going to highlight blizzards. Many people associate a blizzard with a lot of snow, which is partially the case, but a blizzard also includes strong winds and a high pressure system that meets up with a low pressure system.

Limited visbility is another aspect of a blizzard, and this is one of the factors that separates it from merely being snow. The storm must have lasted for 3 or more hours to classify as a blizzard. Gusty winds of more than 35 miles per hour in the US, and 25 mph in Canada is another indicator of a blizzard.

One interesting fact found over at USSARTF.org mentions that heavy snowfall doesn’t have to be present, and it can be all ready fallen snow that is blown around with incredible force causing low visibility to be considered a blizzard. Remember these conditions must remain for more than 3 hours to be classified.

Thanks for joining us for Weather Wise Wednesday, as we learn about the weather and weather issues!