earth science

Snowburst

Snowburst is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Snowburst rather than just read about it. In short: The term snowburst was coined in the 1960s by Prof. Robert Sykes who taught meteorology at SUNY Oswego, in northern New York.

Key takeaways

Snowburst belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Snowburst to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Snowburst from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The term snowburst was coined in the 1960s by Prof. Robert Sykes who taught meteorology at SUNY Oswego, in northern New York. He used the term to describe a snowstorm that occurred December 7–11, 1958 in Oswego, New York. This particular storm dropped almost 6 feet of snow on the city including 40 inches in 24 hours. It was commonly referred to as "The Blizzard of '58" which was an inaccurate title, as the storm was not accompanied by high wind and the snow fell straight down. Another Blizzard of '58 occurred earlier that year in February across Oswego and Onondaga counties. This storm was an actual blizzard due to the high winds, blowing snow and cold. 26.1" of snow was measured at Syracuse N.Y. and drifts reached 20 feet in Oswego County. (See Thirtieth Publication of the Oswego County Historical Society, (1969) and The Climate and Snow Climatology of Oswego N.Y., (1971) Since then the term "snowburst" has been used to describe any heavy lake effect snowfall not accompanied by high winds. If high winds are present the conditions are referred to as "snow squalls"; and in extreme circumstances it becomes a blizzard. In mid January 1997 a snow burst dropped 95 inches of snow on the hamlet of Montague, New York on the Tug Hill Plateau. This storm included a record for the contiguous United States of 77" in 24 hours on the 11th and 12th, 40" of this total fell in 8 hours. "Snowburst" is now a commonly used term in meteorology, used frequently by the National Weather Service, the Weather Channel and local meteorologist throughout the Great Lakes region. The meteorological definition of a snowburst is as follows: "A short period of heavy snowfall, say on the order of 10-14 hours or so with snowfall rates around two inches per hour and greater. It is believed that snow frequently forms and falls out within "short" distances - say hundreds of feet. There is a tendency for the larger flakes to fall out closer to the shore." NOAA defines snowburst as: "Very intense shower of snow, often of short duration, that greatly restricts visibility and produces periods of rapid snow accumulation."

References

Lake Ontario Environmental Laboratory

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Snowburst

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Snowburst claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Snowburst before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Snowburst ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Snowburst

In research: Snowburst appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Snowburst in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Snowburst is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Snow or ice weather phenomena, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Snowburst outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Snowburst in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Snowburst means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Snowburst out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Snowburst in simple terms?

The term snowburst was coined in the 1960s by Prof. Robert Sykes who taught meteorology at SUNY Oswego, in northern New York.

Why does Snowburst matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Snowburst?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Snowburst.