Winter. You know it’s coming. Snow, ice, slick commutes, and below-zero wind chills. Sunday 11/17 is the first day of Winter Safety Awareness Week in Ohio. Each day TuscWeather will post safety and awareness information and maybe some winter weather information you can use that will help you get through the season. Today we’ll start by talking about snow squalls.
Did you know that snow squalls are essentially thunderstorms w/ snow? They produce downpours of snow, gusty winds, low visibility and can create abrupt whiteout conditions!
The National Weather Service issues Snow Squall Advisories when conditions are forecast to favor snow squalls. They also issue warnings when squalls are likely or are occurring in our area.
Snowsqualls can be very dangerous for ground and air travel or any traveler unfortunate enough to get stuck in one. The change in conditions is very sudden, and slippery conditions and abrupt loss of visibility due to whiteouts often cause multiple–vehicle collisions. In the case of lake-effect snow squalls, heavy amounts of snow can accumulate in short periods of time, possibly causing road closures and paralyzing cities. For instance, on January 9, 2015, a localized, heavy snow squall caused a 193-vehicle pile-up on I-94 highway near Galesburg, Michigan.
