What causes it?

Strong winds combine with blowing snow.  It is caused when the cold air from the North combines with warm air from the south.

What conditions in the environment are right for it?

A blizzard is a class of severe weather complete with low temperatures, as well as strong winds which must be greater than 35 mph. It must include a great amount of snow, either falling or blowing.

What type of damage can it cause?

During a blizzard, there can be freezing rain causing very bad driving conditions.  There can be a bad combination of snow and wind.  It can cause fatalities, injuries and hospitalization of people.  It can also cause damage to appendages when frostbite occurs. Ice is also a hazard.

What are some notable ones?

Place/date/effect

In 1888, March 10-March 14, the eastern part of the United States was affected.  22-26 inches of snow fell in New York.  Many people were killed because it was unexpected, more than 400 people were killed because cold temperatures and strong winds..  A lot of the deaths were children because it hit right when school was being let out. 

What can occur in the aftermath of it?

After a blizzard, the snow can melt and freeze.  It can cause trees to fall , it can knock out electricity due to falling icicles, crashing trees, and other falling items.  

Are they predictable?

Blizzards can be predicted by finding the center of a low pressure system by looking at maps.  They then identify areas of low pressure, wind flow patterns, temperatures, and the dew point.

What tools are used?

Meteorologists use:

·  climatology

·  computer models

·  radar

·  satellite

            · upper air observations.