Go Back
  • For Business
  • |
  • Warnings
  • Data Suite
  • Newsletters
  • Advertising
  • Superior Accuracy™
Tropical trouble could stir near Southeast beaches around 4th of July. Get details Chevron right
Severe storms, flash flooding to bring July Fourth holiday travel hassles. Get details Chevron right

Columbus, OH

76°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Columbus

Ohio

76°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Columbus, OH Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

For Business

Warnings

Data Suite

Newsletters

Advertising

Superior Accuracy™

Video

Winter Center

AccuWeather Early Hurricane Center Top Stories Trending Today Astronomy Heat Climate Health Recreation In Memoriam Case Studies Blogs & Webinars

News / Weather News

What Defines a Blizzard?

By Samantha-Rae Tuthill, AccuWeather staff writer

Published Jan 3, 2013 11:34 AM EDT | Updated Jan 7, 2013 12:17 PM EDT

Copied

Every year dozens of winter storms impact the United States with rain, ice snow, and wind; however, what separates a run-of-the-mill storm from a blizzard? The term "blizzard" refers to a violent winter storm characterized by snow, strong winds, and low temperatures. Specifically, a storm is coined a blizzard when winds of 35 mph or higher along with visibilities of 1/4 mile or less are expected for three hours or longer.

In the United States, Blizzards can occur in almost any area that is cold enough for snow; however, an article published in the Journal of Climate found that blizzards occur most frequently over the northern Plains as well as parts of the Rockies and the Sierras of California.

Blizzards are not unique to the U.S. and North America. In fact, these powerful storms have been known to be a deadly phenomenon for several parts of the world. The deadliest blizzard on record across the globe killed around 4,000 people in Iran in 1972. Parts of that country were buried under 10 feet of snow over the span of 7 days with even larger snow drifts.

Interestingly enough, snow does not have to be falling from a cloud in order to have a blizzard. A "ground blizzard" is a term given when strong winds over a region pick up snow that is already on the ground and blow it around severely reducing visibility. If wind speeds of over 45 mph are recorded for three or more hours along with heavy snow and temperatures below 10 degrees Fahrenheit, the storm can be considered a “severe blizzard”.

While a majority of winter storms don’t meet the criteria to qualify as a blizzard, those storms in which blizzard conditions are present certainly need to be taken seriously.

Report a Typo

Weather News

Recreation

Boulders narrowly miss swimmers at popular Utah waterfall

Jun. 27, 2025
Weather Forecasts

July 4 Forecast: Thunderstorms to focus over Upper Midwest and Florida

Jul. 1, 2025
Weather News

Girl, 8, rescued after 7 hours in flooded sewer in China

Jun. 27, 2025
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

AccuWeather Early

Hurricane Center

Top Stories

Trending Today

Astronomy

Heat

Climate

Health

Recreation

In Memoriam

Case Studies

Blogs & Webinars

Top Stories

Severe Weather

Severe storms, flash flooding to bring July 4 holiday travel hassles

5 hours ago

Weather News

Storm chaser stages whirlwind proposal with real tornado

7 hours ago

Weather News

Tropical trouble could stir near Southeast beaches around 4th of July

5 hours ago

Astronomy

July offers rare meteor shower combo, stunning views of the Milky Way

5 days ago

Weather News

Flights cancelled as Atlanta airport recovers from severe weather

2 days ago

More Stories

Featured Stories

Travel

Fourth of July gas hasn’t been this cheap since 2021

8 hours ago

Recreation

Two people rescued after going overboard on Disney cruise ship

9 hours ago

Weather News

Fossil reveals ‘Last of Us’-type fungus likely lived with dinosaurs

6 days ago

Health

'Inverse' vaccines may hold key to challenge autoimmune diseases

1 day ago

Weather News

World’s most liveable city for 2025 revealed

1 week ago

AccuWeather Weather News What Defines a Blizzard?
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
© 2025 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | About Your Privacy Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

...

...

...