Snowstorm does not necessarily mean blizzard. To speak of a blizzard there must certainly have been abundant snowfall.. But it is also necessary a wind that is strong enough to lift all this powder vertically.
And this phenomenon must last over time: between several hours to several days. A strong burst every now and then is not enough. Last criterion: visibility. Snow lifted and carried by the wind must be to the point of reducing visibility. Once all these characteristics are combined, you can talk about a blizzard.
Then, each country has its own values for issuing an alert. For example, the Canadian weather service follows the “4, 4, 4” rule. The blizzard warning is put in place if the wind blows more than 40 km/h for at least 4 hours reducing visibility to 400 meters or less. In the United States, the minimum wind limit is 56 km/h.
In France, blizzards are mainly present in the mountains. Mountains often devoid of trees because they attenuate the effect of the wind and the circulation of snow. Moreover, in the United States, blizzards mainly occur on the great plains, flat areas. A weather phenomenon which is very accident-prone because in addition to seeing nothing, the cooling is very significant and rapid (-10° to -20°) causing ice and risk of hypothermia.
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