Geography of Blizzards in the Conterminous United States, 1959–2000

Many individuals think of tornadoes and hurricanes when considering weather-related storms. However, in both 1996 and 1997, winter weather was the second most fatal category behind floods in the United States. Winter storms have potential impacts on millions of people and effects on the social landscape such as fatalities, injuries, and economic consequences.

This study examined the climatology of blizzards in the continental United States from 1959-2000 utilizing data from Storm Data to identify the areal extent and temporal trends. Additionally, the number of blizzards was compared to the ENSO teleconnection to see if there was a correlation. The effects of blizzards on the social landscape were analyzed to ascertain the affected population, population centers, transportation networks, and disaster areas. Maps were produced utilizing a Geographic Information System (GIS) to summarize regional differences and temporal trends.

Keywords: blizzards, climatology, hazards geography