Winter Storm Warnings, Watches and Advisories: What Each NWS Alert Means
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How we wrote this: A plain-English summary of National Weather Service winter safety pages, checked October 29, 2026. Local NWS offices set the exact criteria for their areas.
Local criteria matter
NWS says winter alerts are issued by your local NWS office using local criteria. For example, the amount of snow that triggers a Winter Storm Warning in the Northern Plains is typically much higher than in the South.
Watch, warning or advisory?
- Watch: conditions are favorable for a significant event. Get ready.
- Warning: a significant, hazardous event is expected or occurring. Act and change plans.
- Advisory: wintry weather is expected but below warning criteria. Use caution.
The main winter alerts
| Alert | NWS definition (summary) | What NWS advises |
|---|---|---|
| Blizzard Warning | Frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow, often cutting visibility below 1/4 mile for 3+ hours | Whiteouts make travel extremely dangerous |
| Winter Storm Warning | Significant snow, ice, sleet or blowing snow | Delay travel until conditions improve |
| Ice Storm Warning | Usually about 1/4 inch or more of ice | Travel strongly discouraged. Expect snapped power lines and falling branches |
| Lake Effect Snow Warning | Heavy snow in narrow bands, sudden drops in visibility | Expect hazardous driving at times |
| Winter Storm Watch | Conditions favorable for a significant winter storm | Prepare |
| Winter Weather Advisory | Snow, ice or sleet below warning criteria | Expect travel difficulties. Drive carefully |
Cold alerts
NWS's wind chill page refers to Extreme Cold Warnings and Cold Weather Advisories, with thresholds set locally. In the Rochester, NY area, for example, an Extreme Cold Warning means the temperature (with or without wind) is expected to fall to -25°F or lower. NWS stresses that cold is dangerous with or without wind. See wind chill, frostbite and hypothermia.
Key terms
- Freezing rain: rain that freezes on contact, coating roads, trees and power lines with ice.
- Sleet: rain that turns to ice pellets before reaching the ground.
- Wind chill: how cold it feels on exposed skin from the combined effect of wind and cold.
Get alerts
Check weather.gov, and make sure Wireless Emergency Alerts are on. Plan for outages: see communicating in an emergency, home heating fire safety and carbon monoxide safety.