
First Ever Snow Squall Warning Panics Amarillo Residents
The last couple of weeks in Amarillo have been adventurous with all the weather we've received. From an unexpected 9+ inches of snow, to extreme cold, it's been a wild ride.
However, January 20th will now go down as a day in Amarillo history, and it had nothing to do with the Presidential inauguration.
At around 1:30 pm yesterday, phones around Amarillo started buzzing and beeping. It was that ear-appealing buzz we normally get if there is an Amber Alert or something of the sort. No question we heard it and thought that.
Then we looked at the message. It was weather-related, and something we've never seen in Amarillo. We were in a snow squall warning.
WHAT IS A SNOW SQUALL
It's the first question I'm sure many people asked themselves. We've heard of squalls, but they're typically something you hear about in the ocean. Well, we aren't anywhere near an ocean here so Google was busy with questions from Amarillo.
A snow squall is basically the equivalent of a severe thunderstorm we'd see in the spring or summer, just with snow. Strong, gusty winds will come ripping through and give us a burst of heavy snowfall. That's it. I know, anticlimactic isn't it?
IS A SNOW SQUALL DANGEROUS
Well, we probably wouldn't have gotten a weather alert like that if it wasn't. However, unlike a severe thunderstorm, a snow squall is typically more dangerous if you're outdoors or on the roads.
It impacts visibility greatly to where you can't even see the front of your car at times. The roads can quickly ice over even if they were completely dry. Couple that with the visibility issues and you're asking for a myriad of accidents.
DID AMARILLO SEE A SNOW SQUALL
To a certain extent, yes we did. The winds definitely came along, and the snow was indeed whipping around making visibility a bit difficult. However, it wasn't the TRUEST definition of a snow squall.
It lasted approximately 10-15 minutes at best, and some areas got it a bit worse than others. It was a snow squall though, and a first for Amarillo.
LOOK: The most extreme temperatures in the history of every state
Gallery Credit: Anuradha Varanasi
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