Nasty winter weather will be here before you know it.
So, let's reacquaint ourselves with important winter weather terminology.
WATCH VS WARNING
Imagine you are making tacos for dinner and you have all the ingredients you need laid out on the kitchen counter.
That's a WATCH.
In other words, all the ingredients could come together in the atmosphere for POSSIBLE disruptive or severe winter weather in our area within 24 to 48 hours.
This is the time to prepare!
Once all the ingredients of our tacos are assembled, the tacos are ready to eat!
That's a WARNING. Weather-wise, that means all the ingredients have come together in the atmosphere and severe winter weather is on its way shortly.
Get ready!
More specifically, a WINTER STORM WARNING means we will likely see six or more inches of snow in 12 hours or eight or more inches of snow in 24 hours.
Or it could mean we'll see a combination of heavy snow, freezing rain, and gusty winds.
A BLIZZARD WARNING is issued when heavy snow will combine with winds of 35 miles per hour or more for three or more hours. Visibility will routinely drop below 1/4 mile.
Travel will be hazardous.
Here in northern Ohio, when four to six inches of snow is expected to fall in the next 12 hours, A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY will likely be issued.
This could also be issued for a combination of light to moderate snowfall, freezing rain, and/or gusty winds.
Other important terms you need to know
LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING: Issued when heavy lake effect snow is imminent or occurring. A warning is issued when 6 inches or more of lake effect snow is expected over 12 hours.
LAKE EFFECT SNOW ADVISORY: Issued when the accumulation of lake effect snow will cause significant inconvenience. Advisories are issued when snow totals in the affected area are generally in the three to six-inch range.
WIND CHILL WARNING: Issued when "feels-like" temperatures are expected to drop to -25F or lower. Cold temperatures will be hazardous to life within several minutes of exposure.
WIND CHILL ADVISORY: Issued for "feels-like" temperatures of -10F to -24F. This type of wind chill situation could cause significant inconveniences but does not meet warning criteria.
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