New This Winter, Snow Squall Warnings Issued By The Weather Service

By Chris Spears

DENVER (CBS4) - The National Weather Service in Cheyenne issued several snow squall warnings late Saturday night for parts of southeast Wyoming and southwest Nebraska.

It's a new product introduced this year to help drivers stay alert of short-term, but potentially dangerous, winter weather.

The concept is similar to a severe thunderstorm warning or a flash flood warning issued during the spring and summer.

A snow squall warning can be issued when a band of moderate to heavy snow is accompanied by wind speeds reaching 30 mph or greater creating near whiteout conditions for drivers.

Meteorologist Chris Spears travels weekly in the CBS4 Mobile Weather Lab reporting about Colorado's weather and climate. Check out his bio, connect with him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @ChrisCBS4.