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The earliest recorded appearance of the word blizzard meaning “a severe snowstorm” was in the April 23, 1870 issue of a newspaper published in Estherville, Iowa. Blizzard shows up again during the following years in several newspapers in Iowa and neighboring states, and by 1888, when a snowstorm paralyzed the Eastern seaboard, the word was well-known nationally. However, in other senses, the word blizzard existed earlier. Davy Crockett, for instance, used it twice in the 1830s, once to mean a rifle blast and once to mean for a blast of words. All of these uses seem related, but the ultimate origin of the word is still unclear.
Examples of blizzard in a Sentence
Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
The blizzard of 1996 impacted the area from South Carolina all the way to Maine, stretching as far west as Kentucky.
—Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 6 Jan. 2026
January’s snowstorm pushed away from South Texas in a nearly due east direction, bringing near-blizzard conditions from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle.
—Justin Ballard, Houston Chronicle, 2 Jan. 2026
An Arctic clipper will bring more snow and hazardous travel conditions, but not another major blizzard.
—Brandi D. Addison, Freep.com, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for blizzard
Cite this Entry
“Blizzard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blizzard. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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blizzard
noun
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