Weather Explainers

Weather Words: Ground Blizzard

A ground blizzard is a sub-category of blizzard in which snow is being blown from what is already on the ground without any additional snowfall.

Did you know that blizzard conditions can develop even when it isn't snowing at all? It's true. It's what meteorologists refer to as a ground blizzard, which is similar to any other blizzard, featuring whiteout conditions and blowing snow.

Both a ground blizzard and a general blizzard require frequent gusts above 35 miles per hour, reduced visibility under a quarter mile, and blowing snow, with conditions persisting for at least 3 hours.

Two people making their way through a ground blizzard.
(Getty Images)

However, in a ground blizzard, no new snow is falling. Instead, high winds are picking up snow already on the ground. While you may think this makes ground blizzards less severe, this is not necessarily the case.

Particularly, if the snow on the ground is dry and fluffy, ground blizzards can be just as severe as any other blizzard, with whiteout conditions and snow drifts resulting from the blowing snow. This can make travel nearly impossible on the roads and cause airport delays.

Ground blizzards can happen anywhere, but are particularly common in the Plains and Great Lakes as these areas are more prone to high winds.

Hayden Marshall is a meteorologist intern and First-Year-Master’s Student at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He has been following weather content over the past three years as a Storm Spotter and weather enthusiast. He can be found on Instagram and Linkedin.