2007-02-15 03:09:43 · 4 answers · asked by ? 4 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Weather
With a blizzard, the winds are high enough that they create what's called white out conditions - there's blowing snow in addition to snow fall that reduces visibility down to just about nothing.
2007-02-15 05:44:38 · answer #1 · answered by some_guy_times_50 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
White out has nothing to do with blizzards or snow storms. White outs are caused by a layer of usually altostratus cloud blocking out the sun so that no shadows occur on the surface. With a white sky and a white ground, visibility could be very good but you have no distance perception and no horizon. You can't see depressions that mark crevasses, you can't see sudden drops or hillocks. If you are trying to land a plane on the snow, you can't see where the ground is even though you are looking at it.
A snowstorm requires fresh snow. You need to have snow falling at the time. A blizzard can have fresh snow but the important thing about blizzards is that the speed of the wind causes snow and ice particles to be lifted from the surface into the air. Much of the snow and ice in a blizzard is recycled old snow rather than fresh snow.
Polar blizzards seldom have fresh snow. The katabatic winds roaring off the plateau in Antarctica bring tonnes of ice and snow which has been picked up off the surface. It is this ice that buries the coastal huts not fresh snow.
2007-02-15 12:22:31 · answer #2 · answered by tentofield 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It depends who you're talking to and where you are in the world. In many places a snow storm is severe blizzard...
A snowstorm is much the same as a conventional storm in that trees can be uprooted and structural damage occur but the criteria that distinguished between a storm and a snowstorm is that it's snowing at the same time.
Technically a snowstorm occurs when the winds are storm force - i.e. force 10 or 11 on the Beaufort Scale (55 to 63mph).
However, it's generally applied to conditions of heavy snowfall accompanied by strong winds, not necessarily storm force.
A blizzard is easier to define as a specific definition was drawn up in 1958 - winds in excess of 35mph and visibility less than a quarter of a mile for at least 3 hours.
2007-02-15 04:58:11 · answer #3 · answered by Trevor 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
The amount of snowfall and windspeed is the main difference.
Weather.com's got a good site for explanations.
2007-02-15 03:17:07 · answer #4 · answered by SnowFlats 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋