A Quick Guide to Understanding Winter Storm Warnings

A Quick Guide To Understanding Winter Storm Warnings

The National Weather Service has explained some of the different winter storm warnings. There is a difference between a warning, a watch, and an outlook. A watch can be issued 24 to 72 hours prior and can range from a blizzard watch to a lake effect snow watch to a wind chill watch to a winter storm watch. The conditions are going to vary with each of them and you will want to know what you could potentially experience when they happen.

A warning is more severe and it is issued when there is a high probability of occurrence, typically greater than 80%. These can include blizzard warnings, ice storm warnings, lake effect snow warnings, wind chill warnings, and winter storm warnings.

A blizzard warning is basically when a blizzard is imminent or expected within the next 12 to 36 hours. There may be sustained winds as well as frequent gusts that are 35 mph or greater. Snow may be falling or blowing and visibility will be reduced to less than a quarter mile.

An ice storm warning is expected to take place soon and ice may be happening thick or greater over a particular zone. A lake effect snow warning will often developed in narrow bands and impact limited areas of a County. It could produce seven or more inches of snow within 12 hours or less.

A wind chill warning is when temperatures in conjunction with the wind chill factor are going to drop and may exceed -25°F.

Finally, there is the winter storm warning, where there may be 7 inches of snow or more within 12 hours and there may be ice, sleet, and blowing snow as well.

All of these require you to use caution on the roads as well as within your home.

An advisory is the least severe of all warnings, but it should not be ignored. It can tell you what the weather may bring so that you can be on the lookout for various watches and warnings when they are announced by the National Weather Service.

Bad weather can have an impact on your home as well as your driving. Having insurance is important so that you can take care of issues should they arise. Call today and talk to one of our insurance agents so that we can discuss potential coverage levels with you. We can also work with some of the top insurance companies in order to get you the best rates.