New York State Records Peculiar Meteorological Phenomenon

The meteorological phenomena associated with winter, in addition to their particularities, are always a spectacle that shows the power of nature in all its splendor. Find out more, here!

snow
Snowfall, whether for several days or within an hour, carries risks, in particular for motorists and their safety.

The city of Albany, about 250 kilometers north of New York City, is the capital and is located in the heart of the state of the same name, having recorded an impressive meteorological phenomenon last Sunday. A wall of snow swept the city and in a space of seconds reduced visibility to almost zero. The Mohawk Tower, a symbolic building in the Albany landscape, which belongs to the University complex, recorded the moment in a timelapse.

The actions that can be taken by the population when this type of phenomenon occurs (...) can save lives!

In the space of 10 seconds the view of the camera changed radically, and it is possible to see the rapid approach of a storm of wind and snow, which resembled a wall, and which quickly "unusable" the camera. This region, in the Northeast of the United States of America, has been flogged by low temperatures, but within what is normal for this time of year.

Although the weather forecasts do not point to precipitation in the next 7 days, it is expected that the cold weather will continue since the minimums will vary between - 10 °C and - 14 °C, and the maximums will vary between 1 °C and - 8 °C. Moreover, it is not the first time that this phenomenon has happened in the region, since in 2019 a similar situation had already occurred, also at this time of the year (January).

Characteristics of a wind and snowstorm

A sudden wind and snow storm, such as the one that affected the city of Albany last Sunday, is quite concentrated in one place and happens in a very short period of time. They are usually associated with the passage of strong cold fronts, and can have a maximum duration of one hour.

The difference between a snowstorm and a snowstorm is the duration of the event. Snow gusts are usually short-lived (of the order of 30-60 minutes) and extremely intense. A snowstorm can last several hours or even days.

This type of phenomenon can happen even without the presence of a large winter storm and, in practice, rarely produces significant snow accumulations. The great danger is associated, on one hand, with the rapid loss of visibility and, on the other hand, with a significant drop in temperatures. These two factors have a significant impact on mobility, especially on the bus station, since icy and no visibility roads are usually synonymous with serious accidents, with fatalities.

The actions that can be taken by the population when this type of phenomena occurs are to postpone travel in motor vehicles, waiting for the situation to pass. These types of weather warnings, for wind and snow storms, are short-lived and focus on very specific areas, almost as if they were tornado warnings.

In terms of road driving, when caught in the middle of such a situation it is important to adopt some behaviors such as reducing speed, turning on fog lights and emergency lights, in addition to maintaining a safety distance from the vehicle ahead and being careful when using the brakes. These behaviors can save lives!