THIS IS A BLIZZARD WARNING.

You might think a blizzard is defined by how much snow falls. It’s not, it’s defined by wind.

For a winter storm to become a blizzard, there needs to be sustained winds of at least 35 miles per hour.

Those winds have to reduce visibility to a quarter mile or less for at least three consecutive hours due to falling or blowing snow.

The last bit is the craziest part because it technically means that while a blizzard does require snow, it doesn’t require new snowfall.

If there’s enough loose snow on the ground already, strong winds can lift it, whip it into the air, and create the necessary whiteout conditions for an official Blizzard.

And blizzard warnings are just one of the many hazardous weather warnings and watches that are issued by the National Weather Service.

For a winter storm like this one, the main ones are:

1. A winter storm watch, which means a storm has a possibility of five inches of snow or otherwise dangerous snow and ice conditions.

2. A winter storm warning, which is the same as a watch, except instead of possibly occurring, it’s very likely to occur.

3. And of course, as we now know, the blizzard warning.

By snowfall totals, the biggest blizzard to hit New York City in recorded history was Snowzilla in 2016, which left 27.5 inches of snow in Central Park.

But the most impactful blizzard was probably the Great White Hurricane of 1888, which led to the deaths of over 200 people in New York City. The winds from that storm caused snowdrifts so large that they buried three-story houses.

This past year has seen a lot of snowfall in New York City, but it’s really the wind which turns this storm into something more.

What’s the worst snowstorm you remember?