Human beings are continually affected by the characteristics of the environment in which we find ourselves, so that when it is cold we take shelter, when it rains we protect ourselves from raindrops under an umbrella and when it is hot we use lighter clothing and sunscreen. The difference between some meteorological conditions and others depends on several factors, the area of the planet in which we are located, its altitude, latitude, the presence of relief and the season or time of year.
We generally cope with these changes using heating or air conditioning systems and adapting our clothing to the situation. However, extreme conditions of temperature or rainfall can lead to problems in our health and cause difficulties for our survival. This happens for example in the case of snow storms. Know what is a snowstorm and how does it form? Do you know in which areas these types of storms take place? At Ecologist Verde we tell you everything about these natural phenomena.
What are snow storms and how do they occur
We start by explaining what is a snowstorm In a simple way. It is the natural phenomenon in which strong winds are produced and precipitation in the form of snow or ice on the earth's surface. Depending on its intensity we can speak of snowfalls, light snowfalls of short duration or snowstorms, snowfalls of greater intensity that can last for days.
How a snowstorm forms
For a snowstorm to occur, a mass of cold, dry, low-pressure air must coincide with a mass of warm, humid, high-pressure air, so that both interact with each other.
On the one hand, the thermal contrast causes upward and downward movements between air masses, causing some instability in the atmosphere and causing strong winds and precipitation.
On the other hand, in the case of snowstorms, precipitation occurs in the form of snowflakes because the water vapor contained in the hot layer cools very quickly, turning directly into ice, without first passing through a liquid state. .
Stages of the formation of a snowstorm
- Initial phase: in which the formation of large vertical growth and development clouds begins, known as cumulonimbus clouds, which store a large amount of water vapor.
- Maturity phase: In the second phase, it develops into a phenomenon in itself, the water vapor falls in the form of snow and strong winds are unleashed capable of reaching the surface, decreasing its temperature.
- Final phase: In this last phase, the storm begins to dissipate, due to the fact that the differences between the air masses become equal, and the precipitation and winds cease.
Where do snowstorms occur?
As we have said before, the presence of one or other meteorological conditions depends on the characteristics of the territory. In this way, a meteorological phenomenon can occur frequently in some areas, while in others it can never occur.
The Snow storms, they usually occur in high mountain areas to a temperature below 0 degrees during winter, although occasionally they can occur in other seasons of the year. Some countries in which snowfall occurs frequently are Canada, the United States, Greenland, Norway, Russia, Greenland, Sweden, Norway and many other countries located in the northern hemisphere of the planet.
Effects of snow storms
Depending on their duration and intensity, they can cause different effects. While some storms only last a few hours, others can last for days causing considerable negative effects for humans, such as health problems (hypothermia and illness), or damage to the environment, such as the deterioration of basic services (the laying of electricity or natural gas installations) and the reduction of visibility conditions, which are especially dangerous on roads, causing traffic accidents.
In fact, the biggest snowstorms on record have occurred in the United States, among which we can highlight the one that occurred in 1977 in New York, in which up to more than five meters of snow was accumulated in some areas or the snowstorm produced in 1967 in California, in which, In just 24 hours, half a meter of snow fell, causing some 76 deaths.
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