What is a snow flurry? I realize I don't actually know.
It is defined as a very light snowflake that doesn't accumulate on the ground. Or almost no snow accumulation. Or intermittent light snow that produces no measurable precipitation. That would be trace amounts. Environment Canada says that they are winter's equivalent of rain showers. They start and stop suddenly and change quickly in intensity from light to heavy.
Here's another: scattered flurries: The flurries will be brief and intermittent, and will not amount to any significant accumulation on the ground. Visibility will be reduced, but roadways will not generally be slippery.
So that would mean that our current "scattered flurries" would not result in any accumulated snow. I see snow out there in the dark already. And the hourly forecast for the day shows less than 1 cm every hour all day long, so that would make for 11 hours of less than 1 cm each hour. My calculation of one flake here and one flake there adds up and there could be 11 cm of snow eventually.
But the key to a flurry is this: "a small swirling mass of something, especially snow or leaves, moved by sudden gusts of wind."
So we can't have constant flurries all day long. They need to come and go. Constant means they wouldn't be a "flurry." So now I know that I don't know the difference between the different types of snowfall.
Snow Flurries Joke: When I was learning to drive in the winter, my Dad told me, "If you're ever lost in the snow, wait for a plow truck, then follow it."One cold, snowy Minnesota night, I got lost on the way home. The snow was blowing so fast and piling up so high, I couldn't see any street signs. With no map in my car and a dead cell phone, I thought I might be stranded so I pulled over to the side of the road.
Then breaking through the flurries, I saw the headlights of a plow truck in my rearview mirror. Thanking my lucky stars, I turned in and followed the truck, hopeful that it would lead me back somewhere I recognized.
I followed that truck for what felt like hours. He turned left, I'd turn left. He'd swing to the right, and I was right on his tail. After a while, I saw brake lights from the plow, followed by four-way flashers. The plow had stopped, and I saw the driver get out and approach my car. I rolled down the window to talk to him.
"Why are you following me, kid?" the plow driver asked. "Well sir, my dad told me if I was ever lost in a snowstorm, I should wait for a plow truck and then follow it." "Well," said the plow driver. "I just finished clearing the Target parking lot. Want to follow me over to Best Buy??"
I expect that when there's light out, the Ironweed plant will have an accumulation of snow on it, like last year's image. |
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