Winter Weather | The Chilly Weather of the Winter
Winter weather is something everyone experiences, whether it is just a bit colder, or frequent snowstorms. Learn more here…
Winter weather has A LOT to talk about, from the different types of winter weather to the impacts those types have, and many more. Families spend a ton of money every year going to a place because they have winter weather, like skiing or sledding. And because everyone experiences some type of winter weather and it can be someone’s favorite or worst time of the year, we will dive into it in this post.
This post is all about winter weather.
Winter Weather
What is Winter Weather?
The first section of this post will be about what is winter weather. When you first saw the heading, you probably thought something like “Well everyone knows what winter weather is! It is weather that is associated with winter!” Well, you aren’t wrong, but what is the weather that happens? It varies from place to place. For example, winter weather in the Upper Midwest is usually lots of snowstorms, while in the Southwest, it is really just cold temperatures.
The weather in the winter affects all sorts of areas of meteorology, from precipitation to temperature, to cloud cover, and more! In this post, there will be sections discussing some of those areas, especially the winter temperatures and precipitation.
Winter Precipitation
Winter precipitation might be the most prominent part of winter weather, with snowstorms dropping feet across the country every winter, sometimes in one storm. To learn more about snowstorms, click here for another post from The Twirlblast. Another uncommon form of precipitation is sleet. It happens year-round and sleet is kind of like ice pellets. It happens when snowflakes only melt slightly in the atmosphere before reaching the ground.
The last form of winter precipitation I will talk about is freezing rain. It happens when snowflakes completely melt but a layer of cool air near the surface cools them but doesn’t freeze them. This is dangerous because freezing rain gets its name from cold objects on impact. Some of these objects include property, powerlines, and tree branches. Since it is so heavy, the tree branches and powerlines fall to the ground. If the conditions are right, the road freezes too.
Winter Temperatures
Even though many places in the U.S. don’t experience winter precipitation, almost all locations experience winter temperatures. The range of winter temperatures varies from place to place. For coastal regions, it generally varies more, and for more inland parts, it can vary less. This is assuming that the two locations are at the same altitude and latitude. Those are the two main influences of these temperatures in the U.S. In winter weather predictions, temperatures can be emphasized more than precipitation because of its predictability.
Cold weather from the winter can also influence other weather events, like precipitation and wind patterns. The cold weather, if cold enough, also keeps people inside because of how dangerous it can be. Some threats of the cold temperatures include frostbite, but there can also be other health threats if you have a condition or disease.
Snow Drifts
The last section of this post will be on snow drifts. We already talked about winter precipitation, but when the conditions are right and there are high winds from that precipitation, large amounts of snow can pile in one area. These piles can be minor, just a few feet, or massive chunks dozens of feet high. This can severely impact daily life in the area for a short period, making it longer to clear out roads, and go into buildings.
If you are outside when these snow drifts happen, you can be blinded by the snow if there is enough flying around. The winds are fast in these situations so the snow hitting you can hurt, too. Snow drifts are common during blizzards and snowstorms, usually not that big, though. Snow drifts technically happen during every snowstorm, but they are just so small that not many people think about it.
