Discover the Facts
Size, Materials and Safety
Care Instructions
Shipping & Returns
Blizzards are powerful winter storms with high winds, severe cold and heavy snow. Meteorologically speaking, a snowstorm becomes a blizzard when winds reach 35 mph (56 kph) for 3 hours. Near zero visibility and white-out conditions may occur. The horizon disappears, snowdrifts bury cars and walking is impossible. When the forecast warns of a blizzard, stay indoors and prepare for a world of whirling white.
The term blizzard is quite common, yet blizzard warnings are rarely issued. The prevailing winds associated with blizzards have different names around the world. The famous Nor’easter is formed by cold northeasterly winds packed with heavy rain or snow that batter the coast. The Northeast Snowfall Impact Scale ranks winter storms into five categories: Notable, Significant, Major, Crippling and Extreme. Only two U.S. storms have ever ranked as Extreme: the 1993 Superstorm and the 1996 Billion-Dollar Blizzard.
Climate change may impact the frequency and severity of blizzards. As the planet warms, the air holds more moisture, meaning more precipitation and intense storms. While there may be less snow on a warming planet, regions that stay cold could see bigger blizzards.
Blizzard Key Chain
Get notified when this item is back in stock
Press & drag to view
"The Earth is a dynamic planet shaped by powerful geologic forces. Earthquakes are triggered by the sudden movement of tectonic plates, enormous rock slabs that float miles underground. These plates bump against each other, creating tremendous pressure. Eventually one breaks free leading to seismic shock waves that travel up and shake the ground. Aftershocks are the rearrangement of the plates as they settle into a new configuration.
Most earthquakes occur under the sea. Few on land cause damage. Yet the energy from big quakes can destroy cities and cause tsunamis. Seismographic stations detect earthquakes and the Richter scale is used to measure their strength. Each number means a quake ten times more powerful than the previous number. With their acute senses, dogs, birds and other animals seem skilled at detecting earthquakes before the shaking even starts.
In the 1960s, a 9.2 quake hit Alaska and a 9.5 in Chile was the most powerful ever recorded. California’s famous San Andreas Fault is where two tectonic plates meet and devastating quakes have occurred. These places are on the Ring of Fire around the Pacific Ocean where there are many earthquakes"
