snow squall

noun

variants or less commonly snowsquall

ˈsnō-ˌskwȯl 

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

Winds are expected to gust at times up to 70 mph, leading to blizzard-like conditions and snow squalls. —Callie Zanandrie, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026

Jan Hoerl and Olympic rookie Stephan Embacher led through the event before a snow squall forced the cancellation of the final round of the event. —ABC News, 16 Feb. 2026

Domen Prevc of Team Slovenia jumps through a snow squall during the Men’s super-team final round on day 10 of the Winter Olympics at Predazzo Ski Jumping Stadium on February 16, 2026. —Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 16 Feb. 2026

Damaging winds and snow squall potential Strong winds, potentially gusting over 50 mph, will not only exacerbate the dangerous widespread below-zero wind chills, but also potentially produce isolated tree damage and power outages, the Weather Prediction Center said. —Doyle Rice, USA Today, 5 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1775, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for snow squall

• aldol
• armhole
• atoll
• awol
• backhaul
• banal
• baseball
• befall
• cabal
• catchall
• cecal
• centrale