blizzard

noun

bliz·​zard ˈbli-zərd How to pronounce blizzard (audio)
1
: a long severe snowstorm
2
: an intensely strong cold wind filled with fine snow
3
: an overwhelming rush or deluge
a blizzard of mail around the holidays
blizzardy adjective
or less commonly blizzardly

Did you know?

The earliest recorded appearance of the word blizzard meaning “a severe snowstorm” was in the April 23, 1870 issue of a newspaper published in Estherville, Iowa. Blizzard shows up again during the following years in several newspapers in Iowa and neighboring states, and by 1888, when a snowstorm paralyzed the Eastern seaboard, the word was well-known nationally. However, in other senses, the word blizzard existed earlier. Davy Crockett, for instance, used it twice in the 1830s, once to mean a rifle blast and once to mean for a blast of words. All of these uses seem related, but the ultimate origin of the word is still unclear.

Examples of blizzard in a Sentence

We were snowed in by a raging blizzard.
Recent Examples on the Web The recent blizzard across California lifted its snowpack levels considerably, Famiglietti said. Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 9 Mar. 2024 The weekend blizzard caused traffic backups and closures on Interstate 80 and other roadways and shut down ski resorts from the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area to Sugar Bowl with the warning covering a 300-mile (480-kilometer) stretch of the mountains. Julie Watson, Fortune, 5 Mar. 2024 As blizzard conditions begin to clear in the Tahoe region, travel on Interstate 80 has resumed — with limitations, the California Department of Transportation said. Angela Rodriguez, Sacramento Bee, 4 Mar. 2024 In another rare weather event in Central California, two tornadoes touched down during weekend storms — one Friday in Madera County and the second on Saturday in Kings County. ‘Bring a shovel’: Yosemite has partly reopened after the blizzard brought as much as 45 inches of snow. Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2024 The blizzard provided a huge boost to the Sierra Nevada snowpack, the source of nearly one-third of California’s water supply. Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024 About a half million people are under blizzard warnings in the Mountain West, with another 6 million under winter weather alerts across the region. Sara Tonks, CNN, 2 Mar. 2024 The Weather Service in Reno has issued only eight blizzard warnings in the last 12 years. Megan Michelson, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024 Topline Forecasters are warning California residents not to travel in the Sierra Nevada mountains for the next three days, as a potentially historic blizzard that could last through Saturday threatens a large region with up to 12 feet of snow and devastating winds. Zachary Folk, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'blizzard.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1870, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of blizzard was in 1870

Dictionary Entries Near blizzard

Cite this Entry

“Blizzard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blizzard. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

blizzard

noun
bliz·​zard ˈbliz-ərd How to pronounce blizzard (audio)
1
: a long heavy snowstorm
2
: a very strong cold wind filled with fine snow
3
: an overwhelming rush or deluge
a blizzard of mail
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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