Can somebody tell me about Blizzards?

Question

I need to know because i have to do a scince project on blizzards so can u give me a good answer?

Answer 1

What is a blizzard?
Blizzards are dangerous winter storms that are a combination of blowing snow and wind resulting in very low visibilities. While heavy snowfalls and severe cold often accompany blizzards, they are not required. Sometimes strong winds pick up snow that has already fallen, creating a ground blizzard.

Officially, the National Weather Service defines a blizzard as a storm which contains large amounts of snow OR blowing snow, with winds in excess of 35 mph and visibilities of less than 1/4 mile for an extended period of time (at least 3 hours). When these conditions are expected, the National Weather Service will issue a "Blizzard Warning". When these conditions are not expected to occur simultaneously, but one or two of these conditions are expected, a "Winter Storm Warning" or "Heavy Snow Warning" may be issued.

Blizzard conditions often develop on the northwest side of an intense storm system. The difference between the lower pressure in the storm and the higher pressure to the west creates a tight pressure gradient, or difference in pressure between two locations, which in turn results in very strong winds. These strong winds pick up available snow from the ground, or blow any snow which is falling, creating very low visibilities and the potential for significant drifting of snow.

Where did the term blizzard come from?
In the 1870's, an Iowa newspaper used the word "blizzard" to describe a snowstorm. Previously, the term blizzard referred to a canon shot or a volley of musket fire. By the 1880's, the use of the word blizzard was used by many across the United States and in England.

The upper Midwest and Great Plains of the United States tends to be the region that experiences blizzards most often. With few trees or other obstructions to reduce wind and blowing snow, this part of the country is particular vulnerable to blizzards. However, blizzards can occur in any location that has a climate that experiences snowfall. Northern Arizona can experience blizzard conditions when a strong low pressure system moves across southern Arizona and high pressure builds strongly into the Great Basin. However, these conditions are rarely met due to the infrequency of strong low pressure systems moving through the state.

What makes a blizzard dangerous?
Blizzards can create life-threatening conditions. Traveling by automobile can become difficult or even impossible due to "whiteout" conditions and drifting snow. Whiteout conditions occur most often with major storms that produce a drier, more powdery snow. In this situation, it doesn't even need to be snowing to produce whiteout conditions, as the snow which is already on the ground is blown around, reducing the visibility to near zero at times.

The strong winds and cold temperatures accompanying blizzards can combine to create another danger. The wind chill factor is the amount of cooling one "feels" due to the combination of wind and temperature. During blizzards, with the combination of cold temperatures and strong winds, very low wind chill values can occur. It is not uncommon in the Midwest to have wind chills below -60F during blizzard conditions. Exposure to such low wind chill values can result in frostbite or hypothermia. For more information, go to the NWS wind chill web page.

Blizzards also can cause a variety of other problems. Power outages can occur due to strong winds and heavy snow. Pipes can freeze and regular fuel sources may be cut off.

Answer 2

A blizzard is a severe winter storm condition characterized by low temperatures, strong winds, and heavy blowing snow. They are formed when a high pressure system, also known as a ridge interacts with a low pressure system, this results in the advection of air from the high pressure zone into the low pressure area. The strength of the high and depth of the low will determine indirectly how strong winds between the systems will be based upon the pressure gradient between. The term blizzard is often misused by the media to describe a large winter storm which may or may not contain strong winds and often will not meet official blizzard criteria as defined by the local weather agency or governing body.

Blizzards occur throughout the world and in North America are particularly common to the Northeastern U.S and Maritime Canada. Because the factors involved with the classification of winter storms are complex, there are many different definitions of the word 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, 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) for at least three consecutive hours.

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 3 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 an extreme risk to the aviation community when flying at the altitude of the storm or navigating an airport, severe ice accretion on the wings may also result.

You could get more information from the link below...

Answer 3

I'll give you all the info you need to know. A blizzard is a severe winter snowstorm and one is only called that unless the following conditions are present 1) wind speed 35MPH or higher, 2) windchill less than +10 degrees, and 3) lasts for more than three hours. A blizzard can get worse and is then called a severe blizzard and th conditions are 1) wind speed 45 MPH or higher 2) windchill at or below -10 degrees, and 3) lasts for three hours or more.

Answer 4

also called Buran, Burga, or Purga, severe weather condition that is distinguished by low temperatures, strong winds, and large quantities of snow. The U.S. Weather Service defines a blizzard as a storm with winds of more than 51 km (32 miles) per hour and enough snow to limit visibility to 150 m (500 feet) or less. A severe blizzard has winds of over 72 km/h, visibility near zero, and temperatures of -12° C (10° F) or lower.

Answer 5

Well, they usually consist of.....

-snow amounts higher than 12 inches

-Winds above 35-50 MPH and gusts higher

-Heavy snowfall rates (likely above 2 inches per hour)

-Systems snow, other wise lake effect/enhanced.

-blowing and Drifting snow

-Visibilities in Snow below a quater of mile or 0 at that

There is a such thing as blizzard condition, whcih mean it may not be a blizzard, but can briefly approach blizzard conditions at times, with the ingredients i just mentioned

Answer 6

My 13 12 months previous son positioned the little styrofoam beads from a bean bag into my air conditioner vent in my bedroom....I particularly a lot killed him..it took always to get them out...even with the undeniable fact that it became hilarious. at the same time as the air conditioner kicked on..it recognized like a snow hurricane in my room. LOL may have given him up for adoption, even with the undeniable fact that it became so creative I had to snicker and cry at the same time. Now I only gotta locate a way, only very nearly as good to get him decrease back....

Answer 7

How am I supposed to know I live in Central-South Texas and I have never seen snow. I know absolutely nothing about blizzards.

Answer 8

If you want to pain a picture as a blizzard; get some white paint on a darkish snow picture and put the whote paint on a tooth-brush and make the paint into white paint spray. Spray it everywhere.

Answer 9

Blizzards have oftenly happened at where i am. blizzards are tye of very windy and big snow storms.

Answer 10

Here are some links that might help you out

http://www.ussartf.org/blizzards.htm

http://www.weather.com/encyclopedia/winter/blizzard.html


I've lived most my life in N.Dakota & MN
so I've experienced many blizzards first hand .....
BRRRRRRRRR !

Hope this helped : )