New York’s Winter Danger: What You Need to Know About Snow Squalls

Snow squall warnings are kind of like tornado warnings, short, sudden, and very specific. They’re issued for small areas, shared with local officials and the media, and they’ll often trigger a Wireless Emergency Alert on your phone. When you get one, it’s not overkill. It’s a heads-up that things could change fast.

Beware of Snow Squalls: What Central New Yorkers Should Know

If you’ve lived in Central New York long enough, you’ve seen this happen.

You’re driving along on what feels like a normal winter day. Pavement looks fine. Visibility is decent. No winter storm warning. Then, off in the distance, you notice what looks like a white wall moving toward you.

Read More: This Is New York’s Most Popular Christmas Movie 

That is a snow squall.

Within minutes, strong winds whip up heavy snow, visibility drops to basically nothing, and dry roads suddenly become slick. Cars ahead of you - disappear. Braking becomes risky. Chain-reaction accidents become much more likely. And then, almost as quickly as it started, it’s all over.