According to the Weather Network's definition, that would not be a blizzard in Canada because it wasn't cold enough
Posted by
zork
Jan 27 '15, 08:37
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What’s the difference between a snow squall and a blizzard?
There are a number of differences between a snow squall and a blizzard. A blizzard generally meets these conditions:
•Winds must be sustained at 40 km/h
•Visibility is less than 1 km due to falling or blowing snow
•The wind chill value is greater than 1600 watts per metre squared, or the temperature is at least -25°C or colder
•The above conditions must be met for a minimum of four hours
•There does not need to be snow falling during this event
For a snow squall, the main difference is the duration of the event and that falling snow is required – with the rest of the above conditions. A squall is generally defined as the sudden onset of strong winds of at least 22 knots or around 39 km/h for approximately one minute.
Although, Environment Canada's current definition leaves out the wind chill/cold part, plus I don't know what the wind chill has been with those strong winds, but I'm pretty sure that the outright temps have been nowhere close to -25C
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