Hazards
Blizzards
What is a blizzard?
A Blizzard is a severe snowstorm with high winds and low visibility.
What causes a blizzard?
Blizzards are caused when a warm air front rises over a cold air front.
There are two ways this can happen;
-When wind pulls cold air toward the equator from the poles and brings the warm air from the equator to the poles.
-Warm air and cold air are both brought together and a front is then formed and precipitation occurs.
Can blizzards be predicted? How?
Yes, blizzards can be predicted. They have several characteristics that stand out, these being; wind gust over 35mph, visibility of lass than a quarter mile, duration of at least 3 hours and temperatures below 20 degrees fahrenheit (-7 degrees celsius). Blizzards can also be tracked by satellites and meteorologist can use computer models to predict their patterns.
Where do blizzards occur?
Blizzards are most popular in the upper midwest and the Great Plains but can happen anywhere. Least common in the Gulf Coast and the California Coast.
How can we help prevent people from dying during a blizzard?
To help prevent people from dying during these types of disasters we can shut down roads to keep people off of them, avoiding accidents. We can also offer shelters, with heat, for people to come to during the storm to stay warm. Fires are common during times like this so we could also prepare the fire department ahead of time to work in these types of conditions.
What can you do in your own home to prepare for a blizzard?
To prepare your own home for safety before a blizzard you can make sure you are prepared for a fire, the fire department may struggle getting to you in these types of conditions so it is good to have your own equipment on hand. It is also a good idea to stay off the roads, driving in the snow and fog can be very dangerous. Having a heat source ready to use during a blizzard is a must, it is very important that you have a way to stay warm during these times.
1993 "Storm of the Century", North America
This event is a specific blizzard in history, here is some information about it!
What caused this blizzard?
This hazard was causes by a combination of three independent weather patterns. These three weather patterns converged in the Gulf of Mexico.
When and where did this event take place?
This event took place in a wide area of the Appalachians, the northeastern U.S. states and Canada, but also affected many other areas, on March 12th, 1993 and lasted many days.
Death Tolls and Damages.
More than 300 people lost their lives during this storm and caused many damages, actually, between $6-10 billion dollars worth of damage.
Interesting Facts About This Blizzard.
- This storm not only hit the U.S. but it also hit parts of Canada.
- This storm affected about half (50%) of the U.S. population.
- This storm caused between $6-10 billion in damage.