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BLIZZARDS

Blizzard is among phenomenons that produce violent weather. Towards the end of autumn and of winter, when dry and cold arctic air masses cross Great Lakes severe snowstorms, particularly feared arrive in Canada, northern United States and often reach the Gulf Coast of Mexico. These winters go with snow and strong winds may exceed 90 miles per hour (145 km/h) and temperatures can drop to -22°F to -58°F (-30°C to -50°C) and prolonged, which piled snow against all obstacles into enormous snowdrifts, all this for a minimum of at least 6 hours !!!

Blizzards generally occur when cold polar air comes down and mixes
with warm and moist air from lower latitudes. It requires a few
more complex elements in the atmosphere to get a storm system.

These very strong winds laden with snow greatly reduces visibility. The wind chill is important and the temperature dropped to or below -31°F (-35°C),so exposure to these conditions quickly cause frostbite on unprotected parts of the body and can be fatal. In less than 24 hours it can to dumped could dump as much as 25 cm of snow and he temperature can drop more than -30°F (-35°C). 01/23/1916 in Browning (Montana) the level of mercury in the thermometer fell 100°F (56°C) from 44°F (7°C) to -56°F (-49°C) in 24 hours, extremely rare occurrence ! Among the large cities that suffer blizzards, Montreal is that which bears the most.

In Russia, the blizzard is called "Purga". In Arctic and Antarctic the blizzard can be a violent wind of 186 mph (300 km/h) that raises layers of snow already formed.

In April 1967 in southern Alberta he fell 175 meters of snow, which is a record for the month of April.

 

02/18/2003 The Atlantic coast of Massachusetts in a blizzard

These snow storms can cause enormous damages and become expensive. In early January, 1998, in Quebec, a freezing rain storm caused the collapse of electricity pylons and deprived of electricity thousands people for several days.

The blizzard of 1999 in Chicago USA (first photo) with 55 cm (22 pouce)
of snow and Denver (second photo) with 80,80 cm or (31,80 pouce) was
rated by the National Weather Service as the second worst blizzard to
hit Chicago in the 20th century, behind the Blizzard of 1967

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11/03/1888, blizzard slammed into New York with winds of
80 mph (130 km/h) creating snowdrifts 3 meters. He had
200 peoples dead in New-York and 400 in U.S.A.