Blizzards-Green

BLIZZARDS **Sophia Kressy & Alex McGinn**  **Green Class**

Introduction If there is zero visibility and swift winds throwing you back, you know you're in a blizzard. A blizzard contains wind speeds exceeding 35 mph, temperatures becoming 20 degrees farhenheit or below and snow piling up to at least 10 inches. (3) The combinations of these parts result in a whiteout conditions and reduced visibility to less than a 1/4 a mile. Unlike a snowstorm, a blizzard has strong winds and very low temperatures which a snowstorm may lack.(5) Plus, blizzards can occur anywhere, from places like New England to Alayh, Lebanon. (3) Making almost anywhere suitable for a blizzard. Dangers  A blizzard can be extremely dangerous, sometimes it can lead to more than 100 deaths at a time. (3) It can also lead to destruction of commercial and residential buildings. When a blizzard brings heavy amounts of snow, the snow and slush pile up on roofs and walls leading to many collapses. By doing so it traps many people inside buildings.(7) The snow also effects cities and towns severely when the snow piles high enough to make travel difficult. The no transportation results in people ending up with hypothermia and diseases from walking outside during the blizzard.(8) But when the snow and high wind speeds add together it results in electric wires, bill boards, and poles falling and crashing.(8) Plus, the zero visibility and low temperatures create a time where many people try to look for shelter when theirs has disappeared from the snow and winds destroying it.(3) But, when the blizzard has ended it becomes multiple days of digging, melting and shoveling out buildings, people, and cars. Sometimes when the snow fall is so great, flooding follows the storm.(7) When all these key elements add together it becomes a blizzard able to devastate a city in a matter of days.

Conditions of Formation Blizzards are produced by the difference of high and low pressure in an intense storm system. This creates a tight pressure gradient which results in very strong winds. The winds blow the snow at high speeds to produce extreme conditions. (2) The snow is formed when water vapor in a saturated atmosphere below freezing point is deposited as ice particles known as deposition nuclei. The deposition produces microscopic six sided crystals. The water vapor in the atmosphere condenses onto the ice crystals corners. This produces a star shape which gives snowflakes their distinct shape. The snowflake grows rapidly until it has enough mas to overcome updrafts and finally falls to the ground. (4) The storm system powering the blizzard forms when jet streams dip to the south which allows warm air from the south to clash with cold air from the north. With the colder drier air come satmospheric temperatures cold enough for the development of snow, sleet, and freezing rain. There are also many other scenarios in which a blizzard can be formed. In the Hudson Bay area the cold air over the city can be displaced southward over southeastern Canada, the Great Lakes, and New England. Areas of upward vertical motion move around and collide with the warmer flow of air from the Gulf. The less dense warm air rises an dthe colder air sinks.This produces strong surface winds, lots of cold air, and exstensive wintry percipitation. In the Great plains intense low pressure systems move out of the Rockies. This causes heavy snow and strong winds in the north and heavy downpours and thunderstorms in the south and east. anotehr scenario is when cold moist air from the Pacific Ocean makes it over the Rockies and onto the plains. Warmer moist air moves north from the Gulf of Mexico. The strong polar jet coming from the north produces potential blizzard conditions from the pan handle of Texas to the Great Lakes.(2) For more understanding of how snow forms: How Snow Forms



Historical Examples The worst blizzard in English-American history to hit the U.S. was the blizzard of 1888 which occurred on March 11-12 1888. This terrible winter storm wreaked havoc from Maine to New Jersey. It included snow drafts as high as 50 inches. The largest amount of snow ever recorded in central New England and New York was recorded in the blizzard of 1888. Unfortunately it was also one of the most deadly blizzards with over 400 recorded deaths. The cause of this great loss was due to the time period it happened in. In the late 1800's forecasting was inaccurate and the blizzard struck with very little warning. It started as heavy downpours which turned to sleet and finally to heavy snow. Unexpected trains were stranded, people were frozen to death coming home from work, and families were stranded in their houses for weeks. New York city was hit the hardest. Telegraph lines collapsed which knocked out communication internally from Boston to Philadelphia. Food and fuel were scarce. People wandered the streets looking for whatever coal they could find to heat their homes. In total 35 inches of snow fell on New York City with 7 foot high snow drifts. Boston was not hit as hard. " The line followed by the storm is quite angular. It started near salt lake and traveled in a straight line north east to Detroit where it changed direction and went south of Boston, giving the south east quadrant to New York, where the gale has been heaviest. After reaching the coast the it will follow the usual course following the Gulf Stream, and sweep over Newfoundland toward Europe" The Boston Globe March 13, 1888. the storm began in Boston at 7 A.M. It was accompanied by heavy snow and high winds reaching 50 mph by 2 P.M. A fall of nearly an inch of snow occured every hour. The temperature remained at 35 degrees Fahrenheit until 10:30. At 11:00 the temperature fell at 3 degrees within an hour. This marked the arrival of a cold wave. After midnight the storm center passed over Boston. Boston was not severly damaged while New York was basically cut off from the continent. When the blizzard had covered the entire territory of the north eastern U.S. it finally went into the Atlantic. This blizzard taught cities on the east coast to not underestimate it's power. New safety percautions were taken such as telegraph lines being placed underground. Subways were constructed to replace street car lines, and new tactics were used in forecasting such as weather balloons.(6)

Safety To know if a blizzard is coming into your area check the weather forecasts and watch the weather channel. The radio and TV will announce a blizzard warning if one is imminent. The blizzard warning means that severe conditions will come your way. (9) The conditions consist of heavy snowfall that reduces visisbility to a quarter mile or less for a minimum of 3 hours. Temperatures will dip below 20 degrees Fahrenheit and winds will reach speeds of 35 mph or greater. (2) If your near the bottom of a mountain, winds descending down the mountain can reach speed up to 100 mph. (10) Also do not exercise or generate sweat in a blizzard, the combination of strain and coldness can cause a heart attack. Generating sweat can also lead to hypothermia from the sweat chilling your body temperature. (10) To stay safe avoid driving on roads during blizzards. If it is necessary to drive then bring a storm kit with chains to tow your car, jumper cables to start the engine if another car is near, a shovel, blankets, warm clothing, food, water, and a phone. Drive slowly and brake frequently to prevent skidding on roadways. Stay away from downed power lines. If stranded turn on the headlights, run the engine for short periods of time to keep it warm, clear snow out of the tailpipe, and crack a window for ventilation. If you go outdoors when a blizzard strikes make sure to wear several layers of clothing. Wind chill will be low and skin will be easily frostbitten. The best place to be during a blizzard is in your house. Stock food, water, and flashlights in case of a loss of power. Use indoor heating devices but be careful with fires and candles. (9)

For tips on being safe in a blizzard: Top Ten Blizzard Tips

Sources 1. Buckley, Bruce, Edward J. Hopkins, and Richard Whitaker. "Blizzards." //Weather: A Visual Guide//. Richmond Hill, Ont.: Firefly, 2004. 124+. Print.

2."Blizzards." //www.weather.com//. The Weather Channel, 28 Jan. 1995. Web. 11 Jan. 2012. [].

3. Allaby, Michael, and Michael Allaby. "Blizzards." //Encyclopedia of Weather And Climate Vol.-I : A-L//. New Delhi: Viva Pvt., 2005. 74-75. Print.

4. Allaby, Micheal, Martyn Bramwell, and Jamie Strokes. //Weather and Climate//. China: The Diagram, 2006. Print.

5. Allaby, Michael. "Snowstorms." //Encyclopedia of Weather and Climate//. New York, NY: Facts on File, 2002. 230-231. Print.

6."Blizzard of 1888." //www.celebrateboston.com//. Celebrate Boston.com, 2011. Web. 11 Jan. 2012. .

7. McFADDEN, Robert D. "THE BLIZZARD OF 1996: THE DAMAGE;At Least 14 Hurt as Snow's Weight Brings Down the Roof of an L.I. Supermarket - New York Times." //The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia//. 13 Jan. 1996. Web. 12 Jan. 2012. .

8. Jewell, M. R. "On This Day: March 24, 1888." //The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia//. 2001. Web. 12 Jan. 2012. [].

9. "Blizzard Safety." //eo.ucar.edu//. The National Center for Atmospheric Research and UCAR Office of Programs, n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2012. <http://eo.ucar.edu/ kids/dangerwx/blizzards5.htm>.

10. United States of America. NOAA. //NOAA's National Weather Service//. By Melody Magnus. Dec. 1998. Web. 16 Jan. 2012. <http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/brochures/wntrstm.htm>.