It dropped 100вЂ“130В cm (40вЂ“50В in) of snow and had sustained winds of more than 45 miles per hour (72В km/h) that produced snowdrifts in excess of 50 feet (15В m). Notable nor'easters include The Great Blizzard of 1888, one of the worst blizzards in U.S. High storm waves may sink ships at sea and cause coastal flooding and beach erosion. More specifically it describes a low-pressure area whose center of rotation is just off the coast and whose leading winds in the left-forward quadrant rotate onto land from the northeast. This type of storm has characteristics similar to a hurricane. The term is most often used in the coastal areas of New England and Atlantic Canada. The usage of the term in North America comes from the wind associated with many different types of storms some of which can form in the North Atlantic Ocean and some of which form as far south as the Gulf of Mexico. It gets its name from the direction the wind is coming from. Illustration of the Great Blizzard of 1888ДЄ nor'easter is a macro-scale storm that occurs off the New England and Atlantic Canada coastlines. When the rapidly moving cold front collides with warmer air coming north from the Gulf of Mexico, strong surface winds, significant cold air advection, and extensive wintry precipitation occur. A blizzard also may be formed when a cold front and warm front mix together and a blizzard forms at the border line.ДЄnother storm system occurs when a cold core low over the Hudson Bay area in Canada is displaced southward over southeastern Canada, the Great Lakes, and New England.

When cold, moist air from the Pacific Ocean moves eastward to the Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains, and warmer, moist air moves north from the Gulf of Mexico, all that is needed is a movement of cold polar air moving south to form potential blizzard conditions that may extend from the Texas Panhandle to the Great Lakes and Midwest. In the United States, storm systems powerful enough to cause blizzards usually form when the jet stream dips far to the south, allowing cold, dry polar air from the north to clash with warm, humid air moving up from the south.

The Brooklyn Bridge during the Great Blizzard of 1888. The term became common in the press during the harsh winter of 1880вЂ“81. It achieved its modern definition by 1859, when it was in use in the western United States. The Oxford English Dictionary concludes the term blizzard is likely onomatopoeic, derived from the same sense as blow, blast, blister, and bluster the first recorded use of it for weather dates to 1829, when it was defined as a 'violent blow'. The primary difference between a ground blizzard as opposed to a regular blizzard is that in a ground blizzard no precipitation is produced at the time, but rather all the precipitation is already present in the form of snow or ice at the surface. Ground blizzard refers to a weather condition where loose snow or ice on the ground is lifted and blown by strong winds. In Antarctica, blizzards are associated with winds spilling over the edge of the ice plateau at an average velocity of 160В km/h (99В mph). Blizzards can bring whiteout conditions, and can paralyze regions for days at a time, particularly where snowfall is unusual or rare.ДЄ severe blizzard has winds over 72В km/h (45В mph), near zero visibility, and temperatures of в€’12В вЊ (10В вЏ) or lower. While severe cold and large amounts of drifting snow may accompany blizzards, they are not required. The Australia Bureau of Meteorology describes a blizzard as, 'Violent and very cold wind which is laden with snow, some part, at least, of which has been raised from snow covered ground.' Дrifted snow near Burrow-with-Burrow, Lancashire, England, January 1963

These conditions must persist for a period of at least four hours for the storm to classified as a blizzard, except north of the arctic tree line, where that threshold is raised to six hours. Д®nvironment Canada defines a blizzard as a storm with wind speeds exceeding 40В km/h (25В mph) accompanied by visibility of 400 metres (0.25В mi) or less, resulting from snowfall, blowing snow, or a combination of the two. To be a blizzard, a snow storm must have sustained winds or frequent gusts that are greater than or equal to 56В km/h (35В mph) with blowing or drifting snow which reduces visibility to 400В m or 0.25В mi or less and must last for a prolonged period of time-typically three hours or more. The difference between a blizzard and a snowstorm is the strength of the wind, not the amount of snow. In the United States, the National Weather Service defines a blizzard as a severe snow storm characterized by strong winds causing blowing snow that results in low visibilities.

Watertown ny snow storm january 5 2017