FACTS

Heavy snow accumulations alone do not constitute a blizzard. It's the combination of snow and high winds, which can be disorienting in rural areas lacking buildings or other landmarks. Ground blizzards may reduce visibilities due to blowing snow already on the ground, without any falling snow.
While a storm may be a blizzard in one location, that doesn't necessarily make it so for every location experiencing snow, or for the entire event.
Blizzards only happen in cold fronts. Wind picks snow off the ground or when it falls down.
Traveling by car or foot is highly discouraged during blizzard conditions. It increases the chance of hypothermia, accident and death.

Blizzards that occur on the East Coast of the United States are known as Nor’easters. Because of the Atlantic Ocean, the storm stalls over the coast and can sometimes last for 24 hours dumping huge amounts of snow over the area. Moisture gathers from the Atlantic and dumps large accumulations of snow all the way from Delaware to Maine. The storms stall over the coast and last anywhere from 12 to 24 hours with snow amounts measured in feet rather than inches.
Rochester, New York is said to be the largest city with the most snow in the US, accumulating an average of 94 inches of snow every year.
Blizzards also create a wind chill effect that can be dangerous. The blowing winds and low temperature can cause frostbite and/or hyperthermia.
If you are ever caught in a car during a blizzard, it is best to stay with the car. Many people have walked in circles, because they couldn’t see where they were going in the blinding snow.
About 187 inches (15.5 feet) of snow fell in seven days on Thompson Pass, Alaska in February, 1953. The greatest daily snow fall was 62 inches (over 5 feet) also on Thompson Pass, Alaska.
If caught outside in a blizzard, it is not a good idea to eat snow because it will lower your body temperature. It’s best to melt the snow first.
A 2002 study by Dr. Robert Schwartz and Dr. Thomas Schmidlin compiled the number of blizzards from 1959-2000 over the U.S., finding a clear "blizzard alley" in the Dakotas and western Minnesota, extending into Iowa, Nebraska, southeast Wyoming and eastern Colorado.
The gratest number of US blizzards in one season was 27 (in 1996-1997).
On average, 2.5 million people are affected per blizzard.
In Antarctica, eight or ten blizzards a year are not uncommon to coastal areas, and they bring any human outdoor activity to a standstill.
Byrd Station, Antarctica has blizzard conditions about 65% of the year.

Weather map of the Great Blizzard of 1888