Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
noun
- Meteorology.
- a storm with dry, driving snow, strong winds, and intense cold.
- a heavy and prolonged snowstorm covering a wide area.
- an inordinately large amount all at one time; avalanche: a blizzard of Christmas cards.
verb (used without object)
- to snow as a blizzard: Looks as though it’s going to blizzard tonight.
noun
- a strong bitterly cold wind accompanied by a widespread heavy snowfall
“strong, sustained snowstorm,” 1859, origin obscure (perhaps somehow connected with blaze (n.1)); it came into general use in the U.S. in this sense the hard winter 1880-81. OED says it probably is “more or less onomatopœic,” and adds “there is nothing to indicate a French origin.” Before that it typically meant “violent blow,” also “hail of gunfire” in American English from 1829, and blizz “violent rainstorm” is attested from 1770. The winter storm sense perhaps is originally a colloquial figurative use in the Upper Midwest of the U.S.
- A violent snowstorm with winds blowing at a minimum speed of 56 km (35 mi) per hour and visibility of less 400 m (0.25 mi) for three hours.