(WKBW-TV), Buffalo — In this week’s edition of Josh’s Weather Academy, we answer a question from Nancy Barlow, who asks about weather terms you hear used all the time.
She wants to know what the difference is between snow squalls, flurries, snow showers, and snow, and if there’s a difference between breezy and windy.
These are great questions and probably questions that you have asked yourself at home when you listen to the weather report. So, here’s the scoop!
Snow squalls, as defined by the National Weather Service, are sudden periods of moderate to heavy snowfall, but of limited duration, accompanied by gusty winds, reducing visibilities to the point where there are whiteout conditions. They are often accompanied by rapidly falling temperatures, as well. Squalls are convective in their development and confined to a small area.
Snow showers and flurries are interchangeable terms. According to the American Meteorological Society’s Glossary of Meteorology, they describe snow of varying intensity that falls just for a few minutes.
The term snow is typically reserved for a large-scale storm system, like a Nor’easter, or an Alberta Clipper. It implies that the precipitation will be steady in nature, covering a wide area.
According to NOAA’s Weather Glossary, breezy means that winds are sustained at 15 to 25 mph, whereas windy means sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph or more. The key word here is sustained, which means the average wind speed over two minutes. You may also hear the word blustery. This term has the same definition as breezy.
So there you have it….some terms are interchangeable, while others have very specific definitions.
Got a weather question that you would like answered? E-mail me at weather@wkbw.com, and your question could be answered in the next segment of Josh's Weather Academy. Stay weatherwise!
