Before you go . . .

Understanding Weather Terms Advisory: A weather event that may threaten life or property if caution is not exercised. Blowing Snow: Wind-driven snow that significantly reduces surface visibility to less than seven miles Breezy: Sustained wind speeds of 15-25 mph Chance: A 25-55 percent probability that one point in a forecast area will have precipitation Flurries: Light snowfall that generally does not produce measurable accumulation Freezing Drizzle or Rain: The freezing of drizzle or rain when it hits objects that have a temperature of 32 degrees or below Frost: A covering of small ice crystals that forms on or near the ground when temperatures approach or drop below 32 degree Hail: Precipitation in the form of balls or lumps, usually consisting of concentric layers of ice. A thunderstorm is classified as severe when it produces hail ¾ inch in diameter Ice Storm: A freezing rain event that produces damaging ice accumulations of ¼ inch or greater Likely: A 55–75 percent probability that one point in a forecast area will have precipitation Numerous: Showers or thunderstorms with 55-75 percent area coverage Rain: A nearly steady and uniform fall of liquid precipitation over an area of several hours Scattered: Showers or thunderstorms with 25-55 percent area coverage Severe Thunderstorm: produces or exceeds either of the following: tornado, damaging winds of 58 mph or hail 3/4–inch diameter Shower: Intermittent rain or snow Sleet: solid grains of ice formed by the freezing of raindrops or the refreezing of largely melted snowflakes Slight Chance: 1–25 percent probability that one point in a forecast area will have precipitation Snow: Steady fall of snowflakes for several hours over the same area Snowpack: Combined layers of snow and ice on the ground at any one time Snow Showers: Snow that stops and starts suddenly, and is characterized by rapid changes in both intensity and visibility Sustained wind: Wind speed determined by averaging observed values in a one-minute period Warning: Indicates a hazard weather element is imminent or has a very high probability of occurrence Watch: Alerts the public to the possibility of severe weather or some other hazardous weather element Wind Chill: cApparent temperature that describes the combined effect of wind and low air temperatures on exposed skin Windy: Sustained wind speeds of 20-30 mph