Even though this snow looks like it's reducing visibility, this likely would not qualify as a "ground blizzard" as there doesn't appear to be strong winds causing the low visibility. In this Feb. 2, 2011 file photo, "Lady," a miniature poodle, basks in the snow near Pine Street and Elgin Avenue, in the aftermath of a snow storm in north Tulsa. CORY YOUNG/Tulsa World File
When I type morning weather reports for this site, I have the tendency to interchange similar weather terms, like "rain" and "precipitation."
Realizing that I've done it more than once, I asked Tulsa National Weather Service meteorologist Karen Hatfield if I was being "meteorologically correct."
"Technically, interchanging rain and precipitation is the same thing as interchanging square and rectangle; all rain is precipitation, but not all precipitation is rain," Hatfield said.
In other words, it's time for me to end that practice immediately.
Some types of precipitation, according to Hatfield:
-Drizzle
- Rain
- Hail
- Sleet
- Snow
- Freezing rain
- Snow grains, etc.
"However, in practice, we do commonly refer to liquid precipitation types as simply 'precipitation,' and wintry precipitation as either 'freezing precipitation' (freezing rain or drizzle) or 'frozen precipitation' (snow, sleet, snow grains)," said Hatfield.
So, readers of tulsaworld.com, I promise to never, ever interchange "rain" and "precipitation" again, because as I learned in algebra long ago, all rectangles are squares, but not all squares are rectangles!
Here are some other commonly misused winter weather terms, according to Hatfield:
Blizzard: Has nothing to do with a specific amount of snowfall. Occurs when you have snowfall in conjunction with sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or greater and visibilities frequently reduced to a quarter mile or less in the resulting blowing snow.
Ground blizzard: A "special" type of blizzard that requires no snow falling at the time, but snow on the ground. This has the same "criteria"; the only difference is that it's the snow that has already fallen that is blowing around and reducing visibilities rather than what is currently falling.
Snow storm: Has more to do with the total amount of snowfall, and this definition can vary from person to person (based on perception) as well as what part of the country you live in. A person's definition of a snow storm is likely to be a greater depth of snow if you were raised in a northern state as opposed to along the Gulf Coast. For example, the Winter Storm Warning criterion for our area is 4 inches of snow, but 4 inches of snow in Minnesota is the criterion for a Winter Weather Advisory.
Flurries: By definition, are sporadic, non-accumulating snow flakes.
So, what can Tulsa expected a chance of tonight? Precipitation, heh. And by that, I mean rain specifically, before 9 p.m., then "flurries" after 9 p.m., because less than 0.1 of an inch of any type of precipitation, rain or snow, is forecast. Definitely no snow storm. But a "blizzard"? I don't see how less than 0.1 of an inch of snow would really reduce visibility, but I guess it's possible!
--Althea Peterson
