What is a snow squall?
NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 30: A doorman at the Empire State Building stands on 5th Avenue during a snow squall on January 30, 2019 in New York City. Extremely cold temperatures are predicted for New York City in the coming days as a Polar Vortex, which
NEW YORK - Millions of Americans facing potentially dangerous cold on Sunday are also faced with the risk of equally or even more dangerous snow squalls.
In New York City, Mayor Eric Adams warned residents to stay inside as the city braced for snow squalls to passing through the region.
Arctic storms are threatening near-blizzard conditions in the Northeast and several inches of snow in parts of the South.
In eastern Pennsylvania and parts of northern New Jersey and Delaware, intense bursts of heavy snow known as squalls could cause drastic and sudden drops in visibility and poor road conditions.
But just what is a snow squall?
What is a snow squall?
Well, according to the National Weather Service, the first thing to know is that a snow squall is not a snowstorm. Snowstorms can last for several hours or even days, while snow squalls are generally very short-lived, often lasting only 30-60 minutes.
Snow squalls are generally associated with strong cold fronts, causing sudden white-out conditions combined with falling temperatures that can produce icy roads in just a few minutes.
"Imagine needing your sunglasses one minute, but then you drive into a white wall of wind-driven snow the next and can barely see the car in front of you," FOX Weather’s Brian Donegan explains. "That's what it's like to be caught in a snow squall on a highway."
They can occur where there is no large-scale winter storm in progress and may only produce minor accumulations, typically of an inch or less.
Why are snow squalls dangerous?
Although snow accumulations are typically an inch or less, the combination of strong winds, fast falling temperatures and poor visibility can create extremely dangerous conditions for drivers.
"The sudden white-out conditions combined with falling temperatures produce icy roads in just a few minutes," the NWS explains. "Unfortunately, there is a long history of deadly traffic accidents associated with snow squalls."
In March 2022, a snow squall in Pennsylvania led to a 50-car chain reaction crash on Interstate 81. Several people were killed and more than two dozen were injured, The New York Times reports.