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

The Northeast is also facing a risk of snow squalls from the morning of Thursday, January 22 through Friday, January 23, according to the NWS. —Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Jan. 2026

Heavy snow is forecast for the northeast, with the potential for blinding snow squalls in parts of New England. —Debbie Elliott, NPR, 22 Jan. 2026

The snow squall conditions were moving into the Cleveland metro area Saturday and expected to continue east into Pennsylvania and parts of eastern New York. —Juan A. Lozano, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2026

Lake-effect snow and snow squalls will lead to higher-impact areas with heavier snowfall rates and reduced visibilities. —Kathryn Prociv, NBC news, 16 Jan. 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