TERMS RELATED TO WINTER WEATHER If you live in an area where there are winter weather phenomena, you will need to know how to describe these and what they mean. Here are some terms to know: •
Blizzard – this is found at any winter weather with strong winds and heavy snow. The winds must be greater than thirty-five miles per hour be called a blizzard. There used to be a temperature criterion for blizzards that is not used anymore.
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Blowing or drifting snow – blowing snow may or may not be due to snow that is actually falling at the time. It is called drifting snow if the winds are strong enough to cause the snow to build up certain areas.
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Freeze – this involves temperatures near the ground that are about thirty-two degrees Fahrenheit or colder. Agriculturists often use the term hard freeze or killing freeze to indicate severe crop loss.
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Frost – this involves scaly ice crystals, although they may be needle shaped or fan-shaped. They are similar to dew drops except that the temperature has fallen to approximately thirty-two degrees at ground level.
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Heavy snows – you call it heavy snows by the amount of snow accumulation per hour. If there is snow that falls at least six inches over twelve hours or 0.5 inches per hour, this will be a heavy snow. It does somewhat depend on where you live, however. If you get just six inches in twenty-four hours in the southern United States, it could be called heavy snow.
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Ice storm – you would call the storm an Ice storm if ice accumulates in the form of freezing rain on the ground or on vegetation. It is called significant if at least one half inches of rain and ice attach to vegetation and roadways.
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Snow flurries – you would call a storm system a snow flurry if there was a brief period of snow without any significant accumulation. In a snow shower, the snow is brief but a bit more intense; there may or may not be accumulation.
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Snow squalls – this is an intense dumping of snow with strong winds and potentially a high level of accumulation in a short period of time. 101
