Winter Weather

About the winter weather watch

This page filters the national National Weather Service alert feed down to the cold-season products: winter storm watches and warnings, winter weather advisories, blizzard warnings, ice storm warnings, lake effect snow, extreme cold and wind chill, hard freeze, and frost. Each row shows the severity the forecaster assigned, the counties or zones covered, the headline, and how long the alert has left to run.

Severity is the fastest way to triage the list. Extreme and Severe rows are the ones that close roads and schools; Moderate and Minor are usually advisories, where the risk is a slick commute rather than a shut-down. Because the feed is national, an empty page in July is the expected result, not a fault.

For the polygon, the full official instruction, and pin-first ranking on any of these events, open the warning desk. Watch the snow band itself on live radar, or read what drives these storms in the weather systems guides.

Winter weather FAQ

What is the difference between a winter storm warning and a winter weather advisory?

A Winter Storm Warning means hazardous winter weather that meets local warning criteria is expected or already happening, and travel is likely to become dangerous. An advisory covers lesser amounts of snow, sleet, or freezing rain that are still enough to make roads and sidewalks treacherous.

What does a blizzard warning actually require?

A Blizzard Warning is about wind and visibility, not snowfall totals. It needs sustained wind or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more together with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for at least three hours.

Why are ice storm warnings treated so seriously?

Freezing rain glazes every exposed surface. An Ice Storm Warning is issued for damaging accumulations of ice, generally a quarter inch or more, which is enough to bring down tree limbs and power lines and to make roads effectively impassable.

How often does this page update?

The list is drawn from the live National Weather Service alert feed and refreshes every five minutes, ordered with the most severe Warning Events first. When the country is quiet it will correctly show no active winter alerts.