NWS Adds 'Particularly Dangerous Situation' Wording to Its Most Dangerous Blizzard and Ice Storm Warnings This Winter
The National Weather Service (NWS) has added its strongest wording yet for winter storms. In Service Change Notice 26-52, issued June 8, 2026, from its headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, the NWS said it would operationally implement the capability to use "Particularly Dangerous Situation" wording in Blizzard Warnings and Ice Storm Warnings on or about October 1, 2026, and the capability is in place for this winter season.
The wording will not appear in every storm warning. The notice says the language is meant to alert the public and emergency partners when there is high confidence of a blizzard or ice storm of extreme and historic severity that poses an exceptional threat above and beyond a typical blizzard or ice storm. In other words, when those words, or the abbreviation PDS, appear in a warning, forecasters judge that the storm could endanger life and critical infrastructure.
Under the NWS's existing definitions, a Blizzard Warning covers snow or blowing snow that drops visibility to a quarter mile or less, with wind gusts of 35 mph or higher lasting three hours or more, while an Ice Storm Warning covers expected ice accumulations of a quarter inch or more that make travel nearly impossible. The "Particularly Dangerous Situation" wording adds a further layer of emphasis on top of the two most serious winter warnings the agency issues.
The notice includes product examples, and local forecast offices can use the wording this winter when a historic blizzard or ice storm threatens. For residents, the rule is simple: an ordinary warning already deserves full attention, and a warning carrying "Particularly Dangerous Situation" calls for immediate action, staying off the roads where possible and preparing emergency supplies in advance. (Source: National Weather Service)
Source: National Weather Service
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：2022年12月美国纽约州布法罗暴风雪期间的街道。Wikimedia Commons（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 / Photo: A Buffalo, New York street during the December 2022 blizzard. Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
