Winter Storm Watch explained: What does it mean and when is it issued?
A Winter Storm Watch indicates that conditions are favorable for a significant winter storm event such as a blizzard. It highly likely that there will be heavy sleet or snow, blowing snow, an ice storm, freezing rain or a combination of all events. Watches are usually issued 12 to 36 hours before the winter weather occurs.
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With the winter season upon us, winter weather watches are issued across the nation to keep millions of Americans informed of active winter weather to come.
Watches are issued to alert the public of dangerous winter weather. The primary goal of a weather event watch is to help keep residents safe during a winter storm.
FILE - A woman walks her dog during a heavy snowstorm in St. Paul, Minnesota.
(KEREM YUCEL/AFP / Getty Images)
The National Weather Service (NWS) has created a set list of criteria on what makes a weather event a Winter Storm Watch.
According to the NWS, a Winter Storm Watch indicates that conditions are favorable for a significant winter storm event such as a blizzard.
WHAT IS A WINTER STORM WARNING?
It is highly likely that there will be heavy sleet or snow, blowing snow, an ice storm, freezing rain or a combination of all events.
Watches are usually issued 12 to 36 hours before the winter weather occurs.
People commute in downtown Milwaukee as Wisconsin braces for a winter storm that in the coming days could bring blizzard conditions, causing possible power outages, and make holiday travel conditions dangerous. The storm watch is in effect Thursday through Saturday with cold air and wind gusts up to 50 mph, according to the National Weather Service. (Photo by Alex Wroblewski for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
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In 2023, the NWS revamped the criteria for Winter Storm Watches across the country along with creating a new map for winter storm watches and warnings across the U.S.
Under the new criteria, all local NWS follow the threshold assigned to them by the main NWS office.
Thresholds are determined by the amount of snowfall in an area, meaning certain amounts of snow would have to be forecast to fall in an area before a Winter Storm Watch can be issued.
Pedestrians attempt to dig out cars and clear the side streets on January 18, 2024 in Buffalo, New York.
(John Normile / Getty Images)
For example, the amount of snow that triggers a Winter Storm Watch in the Northern Plains is much higher than the amount of snow that is needed to prompt a Winter Storm Watch in the Southeast.
Along with Winter Storm Watches, the NWS has set standards for Wind Chill Watches as well.