How new is the "heavy snow warning"?

[Tri-State_1925]

I only remember there being winter storm and blizzard warnings...

Looks like the only difference between a heavy snow and winter storm warning is the possibility of sleet and ice with a winter storm warning.

[ohiostorm]

I dont see the point of it though. Pittsburgh has WSWarnings and State College PA has the Heavy Snow Warning for mainly the same amounts of snow. I think it depends on the NWS office which one they use. Dont know how new it is.

[Guest]

I found the following at National Weather Service Kansas City/Pleasant Hill website (http://www.crh.noaa.gov/eax/winter/product.php):

A Winter Storm Warning is issued for any combination of more than one of the following events :

• A mix of freezing and/or frozen precipitation which causes life-threatening conditions (e.g., several inches of snow with freezing rain).

• Heavy snow criteria and wind that also results in blowing snow

• Any other combination of winter weather warning criteria.


Heavy Snow Warning •6 inches or more in 12 hours, 8 inches or more in 24 hours.

[u]•No other hazard expected. [/u

]

[Brent]

There was a Heavy Snow Warning here during the Blizzard of 1993, never a Blizzard Warning.

[SouthernWx]

Heavy Snow Warning isn't new....I remember them back in the 1970's in the southeast U.S.

In metro Atlanta, criteria for issuing a Heavy Snow Warning is forecast snowfall of 4" or more within a 24 hr period. If it's expected to be a snow/sleet or snow/sleet/freezing rain mixture, a Winter Storm Warning is issued instead (even if total accumilation exceeds 4" inches...as occurred here on February 16-17, 1979 and January 12-13, 1982).

There was a Heavy Snow Warning for this area on March 12, 1993....but it was upgraded to a Blizzard Warning early on March 13th (the ONLY time a Blizzard Warning was ever issued by the NWS office in Atlanta).

PW

[Tri-State_1925]

Interesting. I've kept note of just about every storm up here for the past 15 years, and I don't remember ever seeing "heavy snow warning". Although it's very possible that I wasn't following the warning names close enough.

My first reaction today was, "What does that mean?" I think the "heavy snow warning" (considering the existence of the "winter storm warning") is a bit unnecessary and, considering the real purpose of these warnings, confusing.

[Brent]

Interesting. I've kept note of just about every storm up here for the past 15 years, and I don't remember ever seeing "heavy snow warning". Although it's very possible that I wasn't following the warning names close enough.

My first reaction today was, "What does that mean?" I think the "heavy snow warning" (considering the existence of the "winter storm warning") is a bit unnecessary and, considering the real purpose of these warnings, confusing.

I don't really see a difference between it and a winter storm warning either.