Q: How strong does a snowstorm have to be before it's called a blizzard?
A: There are some specifics regarding blizzards, says Brent McRoberts of Texas A&M University. "In meteorological terms, a blizzard is a severe storm that has below-freezing temperatures, winds of at least 35 miles per hour and heavy snowfall, with visibility reduced to just 1/4 of a mile, and all of these conditions have to last at least three hours," he explains. "So just a heavy snowfall is not always a blizzard. Blizzard conditions occur most often in the Great Plains, North Central United States sand parts of the Northeast."