Where blizzards are most prone in America reveals insights into weather patterns that foreshadow trouble for residents unprepared for the major disruptions these events can trigger, especially across Northern Plains states.
What States Are in Blizzard Alley?
Blizzards that strike states like North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota whip up winds topping hurricane force while dropping visibility to zero amid heavy snows that drift to block roads, stall vehicles, isolate homes and knock out power across wide swaths of territory, all contributing to an average 400 blizzard deaths each year in America according to National Weather Service estimates.
That staggering blizzard mortality tally comes in about five times higher than the roughly 80 deaths inflicted by tornadoes annually. Yet public awareness remains firmly fixed on tornado risks despite blizzard hazards proving more lethal and disruptive even though they fail to focus singularly destructive fury into a narrow damage track like the most violent tornadoes.
Expansive blizzard impacts unfolding across states less populous than Tornado Alley regions further mask the risks. Still, data reveals a defined swath of America's Northern Plains where blizzards routinely wreak havoc.