How many snowflakes make a blizzard? Would one less snowflake than that still be a blizzard?

Answer 1

By definition a blizzard contains exactly 1,456,201 x 10^23 snowflakes. one more or one less and you have something completely different.

Answer 2

A blizzard is a severe winter storm condition characterized by low temperatures, strong winds, and heavy snow. They are caused when a high pressure area meets a low pressure area. - Wikipedia.

I think it requires below 20 Degrees F, 30+ mph winds and 6+ inches of snow. Also, some measure of limited visibility. Failing any one of these, no blizzard.

NOAA definition "Blizzard - A blizzard means that the following conditions are expected to prevail for a period of 3 hours or longer: Sustained wind or frequent gusts to 35 miles an hour or greater; and Considerable falling and/or blowing snow (i.e., reducing visibility frequently to less than ¼ mile)"

Answer 3

Love your question!

Snowflakes densely packed and blowing about.. blizzard.

Same number of snowflakes but widely spaced apart, and falling down gently, not a blizzard.

Number? Nope. Density? Yes.

If you have to scrunch your eyes to walk around outside, trying to keep the snow from hitting your eyes, and trying to see where you're going, then it's a blizzard

Answer 4

Because the factors involving classification of winter storms are complex, there are many different definitions of blizzard. A major consensus is that in order to be classified as a blizzard, as opposed to merely a winter storm, the weather must meet several conditions: the storm must decrease visibility to a quarter of a mile or 400 meters for three consecutive hours, include snow or ice as precipitation, and have wind speeds of at least 35 miles per hour or 56 kilometres per hour (which would be seven or more on the Beaufort Wind Scale).

Another standard, according to Environment Canada, is that the winter storm must have winds of 40 km/h (25 mph) or more, have snow or blowing snow, visibility less than 1 km (about 5⁄8 mile), a wind chill of less than −25 °C (−13 °F), and that all of these conditions must last for 4 hours or more before the storm can be properly called a blizzard.

When all of these conditions persist after snow has stopped falling, meteorologists refer to the storm as a ground blizzard.

An extreme form of blizzard is a whiteout, when downdrafts coupled with snowfall become so severe that it is impossible to distinguish the ground from the air. People caught in a whiteout can quickly become disoriented, losing their sense of direction. This poses difficulty for aviation flying at the altitude of the storm.

Answer 5

The amount of snowfall does not determine a blizzard, it is the conditions under which the snowfall occurs. A blizzard is determined by a sustained wind speed of at least 35 m.p.h. and lack of visibility for at least 3 consecutive hours or more.

Answer 6

I think that it's not the number of snowflakes, but how they are behaving that makes a blizzard.

Answer 7

A blizzard is not defined by the amount of snow, rather the amount of wind.

Answer 8

Good question - it is bound to kick up a bit of a storm.

Answer 9

wind is also a consideration