So apparently there's a blizzard warning in my area of the province (and many, many other areas) for tonight and tomorrow. A few other areas don't have blizzard warnings, but rather winter storm watches. I didn't really know what those terms meant, so I thought I'd look them up. In case anyone's interested, or for future reference, I present the following definitions from Environment Canada:
A blizzard occurs when a combination of strong winds and falling or loose snow on the ground which severely reduces visibilities in blowing snow. A winter storm occurs when there is a combination of more than one winter hazard (i.e., heavy snow, freezing rain, extreme wind chill, etc.). A storm watch tells you that conditions are such that a particular weather event may occur; a storm warning tells you that a particular weather event will occur or is occurring.
I know that some of this information will not be important for some people who infrequently read this blog, but to people who might be living with this situation as I type this, I thought it was interesting at the very least. All I know is, I'm going to need another blanket tonight.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
As I walked through the Mall yesterday, some woman was commenting that it was "a blizzard out there". I will point out that it was snowing, yes, but it was hardly anything Albertans haven't dealt with before. And every time there's any type of Waether annoincement on TV, everyone says that "a storm warning is issued". And I keep fighting the urge to say "A warning is only issued when the storm is actualy happening, and there is imminent danger. What we have is a storm watch. Not necessarily imminent danger. Just keep your eyes open. No need to panic yet."
And then I realize, that I would be talking about the weather if I pointed this out. And really, there are only a few certain situations where the weather should be a topic of conversation:
1. If you are a certified meteorologist/weather person on the news.
2. If there is a storm coming and you have to plan your travel around it.
3. Or to simply say: "Hey, that tornado looks like it's coming this way. We should take cover".
Thank you Dev for clarifiying the tersm for people. And thank you for the chance to rant. I can't do this to customers who think they need to fill that minute of silence while I pack their groceries.
Post a Comment