Accumulating Questions: What’s a Blizzard? Is This El Nino?

Oh, the weather outside is frightful. Winds will soon turn spiteful. The East has no place to go. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

An accident victim removes belongings from their car along interstate 95 near Richmond, Va., Friday, Jan. 22, 2016. A massive blizzard began dumping snow on the southern and eastern United States on Friday, with mass flight cancelations, six states declaring states of emergency and more than two feet (60 centimeters) predicted for Washington alone. AP Photo/Steve Helber

KENSINGTON, Md.—Oh, the weather outside is frightful. Winds will soon turn spiteful. The East has no place to go. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

The massive snowstorm promising more than a foot of snow for a wide swath of the eastern U.S. is all people can talk about. But is it a blizzard? And how did it get so big? Just like the snow, questions pile up. Here are some answers.

Q: Is there a difference between a snowstorm and a blizzard?

A: Yes. The National Weather Service says a snowstorm becomes a blizzard when it meets a couple of conditions for at least three hours: Sustained wind or gusts of 35 mph or greater, and heavy falling and blowing snow, the type that reduces visibility to less than one-quarter of a mile.

Parked cars are snowed in during a snowstorm in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 23, 2016. A blizzard is the perfect time for family in door time. Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images