snow squall

noun

variants or less commonly snowsquall
plural snow squalls also snowsqualls
: a sudden, brief, and intense storm of wind and snow : a squall accompanied by snow
While major snowstorms are predicted ahead of time, snow squalls can begin suddenly and typically last less than an hour.Aleanna Siacon

Examples of snow squall in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web This latest round of rough weather comes after a snow squall caused a deadly pile up in Pennsylvania on Monday. Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 30 Mar. 2022 This area experienced wind gusts of more than 70 mph with snow squall warnings that impacted visibility, according to CNN meteorologist Robert Shackleford. Aya Elamroussi, CNN, 22 Dec. 2022 At least 50 vehicles were involved in a pileup on Interstate 81 in Pennsylvania during a snow squall Monday morning, leaving dozens of people injured. Talal Ansari, WSJ, 28 Mar. 2022 The National Weather Service (NWS) forecast office for the Twin Cities said there was a snow squall warning in effect in the region at the time. Fox News, 12 Nov. 2020 There probably won’t be much falling at this point, but some flurries, snow showers or a brief snow squall could blow by. Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 19 Dec. 2022 There wasn't a snow squall warning issued for the location of the accident at the time the crash happened. Laura Studley, Eric Levenson and Caroll Alvarado, CNN, 30 Mar. 2022 Monday's pileup during a spring snow squall in Pennsylvania killed six people, injured 24 others and involved 80 vehicles, state police said Wednesday. NBC News, 30 Mar. 2022 The highway was snow-covered when the snow squall came through, according to Pennsylvania State Police Trooper David Beohm. Julia Musto, Fox News, 29 Mar. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'snow squall.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1775, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of snow squall was in 1775

Dictionary Entries Near snow squall

Cite this Entry

“Snow squall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/snow%20squall. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.

More from Merriam-Webster on snow squall

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