Cars damaged by a crushed car port during the Blizzard of April 2018. (Fox 11 Online)
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — As winter approaches, residents may encounter a relatively new type of weather alert: the snow squall warning.
The National Weather Service in Green Bay issued its first snow squall warning in 2022, highlighting the importance of understanding these intense, short-duration events.
A snow squall is characterized by sudden, moderate to heavy snowfall combined with gusty winds, leading to low visibility or whiteout conditions. These conditions can rapidly deteriorate road safety, with a history of deadly traffic accidents linked to snow squalls.
“It’s not like you’re going to get eight inches of snow in five minutes,” said Kurt Kotenberg of the National Weather Service Green Bay. “It’s the visibility. It becomes whiteout conditions. That’s the big driver of bad impacts. There could be a flash freeze behind it too, so the road conditions could be really slippery right behind it.”
Due to their sudden and localized nature, snow squall warnings are issued similarly to tornado warnings. They alert the public when a snow squall is occurring or imminent in a specific area, typically lasting under 60 minutes. The warnings aim to prepare drivers for potentially dangerous conditions.
When a snow squall warning is issued, it is advisable to reconsider travel plans until the squall has passed and conditions improve.
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