AccuWeather's Anna Azallion explains what happens during a snow squall and shares safety tips on how to respond, which is crucial for locations where snow squalls are more common.

Snow squalls are intense, short-lived bursts of heavy snow that can drastically reduce visibility, often lasting only 30 to 60 minutes. These conditions can develop quickly and are particularly hazardous for drivers, as visibility may drop to less than a quarter mile and snow can accumulate rapidly.

The article highlights the importance of understanding the difference between snow squalls and snow storms, emphasizing that squalls are brief but dangerous due to sudden whiteout conditions. Safety recommendations include avoiding driving during snow squall warnings, reducing speed if caught on the road, keeping headlights on, and seeking the next exit rather than stopping on the roadside.

Staying safe when visibility drops during snow squalls

Well, we've been talking about the possibility of snow squalls and actually I've already seen some over the last couple of days. So what is this? Because I have seen some people on social media, especially saying, you know, I live in Illinois. I live in India and I have never heard of a snow squall, which I know some of you are thinking, okay, how? But either way, let's review, right? So what is a snow squall? It's intense burst of heavy snow. It can happen very, very quickly. It can also be over very quickly. Just about 30 to 60 minutes is the duration here. But we get to white out conditions. Visibility is rapidly reduced. You can barely see even a quarter mile ahead of you in some situations. So we're really focused on driving when we talk about snow squall safety. That's where it can be very dangerous, very quickly. And then, of course, snow can accumulate very rapidly to get a lot of snow coming down. You get those wind gusts. That's what leads to these snow squall conditions. Now, when we're talking about terminology, we talk about snow storms. That is very different than a snow squall. It's all about the duration. A snow storm is hours or days long, whereas that snow squall is really tied to the visibility, and it's very short lived. So what do you do, especially if you're driving and you find yourself caught in a snow squall? Well, first of all, when these conditions are expected, especially if a snow squall warning is issued, try to just not be on the roads. However, if you are on the roads, you get stuck. Make sure you're driving slowly. Reduce your speed. Whatever you do, you do not want to slam on the brakes. That can lead to crashes very quickly. Your headlights, of course, should already be on, but that's just a thing to double check. And because you are trying to go slow, you wanna make sure you have some extra time. If you feel unsafe, look for the next exit. If you're on the highway, for example, to get off. Not always the safest idea to just pull over on the side of the road in a situation like this.

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