Human beings remain continuously affected by the characteristics of the environment in which we are, so that when it is cold we warm ourselves, when it rains we protect ourselves from the rain drops under an umbrella and when it is hot we use lighter clothes and sunscreen. The difference between weather conditions and others depends on several factors, the area of the planet in which we place ourselves, its altitude, latitude, the presence of relief and the station or time of the year.
We generally face these changes through heating or air conditioning systems and adapting our clothing to the situation. However, extreme temperature or rainfall conditions can lead to problems in our health and cause difficulties for our survival. This occurs for example in the case of snowstorms. Know What is a snowstorm and how it forms? Do you know in which areas this type of storm takes place? In ecology, we tell you everything about these natural phenomena.
What are snow storms and how they occur
We start by explaining What is a snowstorm simplely. This is the natural phenomenon in which strong winds are produced and snow or ice rainfall on the earth’s surface. Depending on its intensity we can talk about snowfall, weak snowfall or snowfall, snowfall of greater intensity that can last days.
How a snowstorm is formed
In order for a snowstorm to occur, it is necessary that they coincide a mass of cold, dry air, at low pressure along with a mass of warm and humid air at high pressure, so that both interact with each other.
On the one hand, the thermal contrast causes ascending and descending movements between the air masses, causing some instability in the atmosphere and causing strong winds and rainfall.
On the other hand, in the case of nevasca, precipitation occurs in the form of snowflakes because the water vapor contained in the hot layer cools very quickly becoming direct into ice, without going through a liquid state before.
Stages of the formation of a snowstorm
- Initial phase: in which the formation of large clouds of development and vertical growth begins, known as cumulonimbos that store a large amount of water vapor.
- Maturity phase: In the second phase it is developed in phenomenon itself, 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, because the differences between the air masses are equalized, ceases precipitation and winds.
Here you can read about hail: what is, how it is formed and types.
Where snow storms are given
As we have said before, the presence of one or other weather conditions depends on the characteristics of the territory. In this way, a meteorological phenomenon can take place frequently in some areas, while in others it can never occur.
The Snow stormsthey are usually given in High mountain areas to one temperature lower than 0 degrees During the winter, although occasionally they can occur in other stations of the year. Some countries where snowfall are frequently produced 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 snowstorms
According to their duration and intensity they can cause different effects. While, some storms barely last for a few hours, others may last days causing considerable negative effects for human beingsuch as problems in your health (hypothermia and diseases), or Damage to the environmentsuch as the deterioration of basic services (the laying of electric current or natural gas facilities) and the reduction of visibility conditions, whose danger occurs above all on roads, producing traffic accidents.
In fact, The biggest recorded snowstorms They have occurred in the United States, among which we can highlight that which occurred in 1977 in New York, in which it was accumulated in some areas up to more than five meters of snow or the neves produced in 1967 in California, in which, in just 24 hours, half a subway of snow fell causing about 76 deaths.
If you want to read more articles similar to What is a snowstorm and how it formswe recommend that you enter our category of meteorological phenomena.
