Blizzards: Snow and Ice
BY ELSA GARNER
A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds of at least 56 km h-1 (35 mph) and lasting for a prolonged period of time - typically three hours or more. A ground blizzard is a weather condition where snow is not falling but loose snow on the ground is lifted and blown by strong winds.
Though not as common as snowstorms, tornadoes, or even hurricanes, blizzards are deadly every time they hit.
Blizzards are periods of heavy snowfall accompanied by strong winds. Drifting snow is a particular hazard of blizzard conditions and can lead to the closure of roads, airports and railways.
In the middle and higher latitudes, where freezing temperatures occur, snowstorms are common, partly as a result of seasonal changes in day length and solar heating and partly as a result of the influence of polar and arctic air masses.
For a severe snowstorm to become a blizzard, the winds must be 55 kilometres per hour (35mph) or greater. Falling and blowing snow can reduce visibility to zero, creating conditions that are known as a whiteout.
A March blizzard in 1966 nearly buried utility poles. Caption jokingly read "I believe there is a train under here somewhere!"
Blizzard in Penhas da Saúde, municipality of Covilhã, in a mountain range named Serra da Estrela, Portugal.
A March blizzard in 1966 nearly buried utility poles. Caption jokingly read "I believe there is a train under here somewhere!"
INTRODUCTION
