Meaning & use
snow flurry
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A short period of light snow with only small amounts settling on the ground.
Grammar: Countable: a snow flurry, a few snow flurries. The plural is much more common in everyday use.
Patterns
- a few snow flurries
- scattered snow flurries
- snow flurries in the morning
The forecast says we might see a few snow flurries this afternoon.
Snow flurries blew across the field but nothing settled.
Expect scattered snow flurries overnight, with no real accumulation.
Word forms
| plural | snow flurries |
|---|
Common combinations
- a few snow flurries
- There were a few snow flurries on the way to work.
- scattered snow flurries
- Scattered snow flurries are likely in the north.
- light snow flurries
- Light snow flurries dusted the rooftops.
- chance of snow flurries
- There is a small chance of snow flurries tonight.
- snow flurries taper off
- The snow flurries will taper off by midnight.
Synonyms and how they differ
- light snow
- A plainer, more general weather term; it does not suggest that the snow comes in short bursts.
- flurry
- Used alone, it can mean any short burst of activity, not only snow, so 'snow flurry' is clearer for weather.
Opposites
Word family
- flurry noun
- a short, sudden burst of snow, wind, or activity
Commonly confused: snow flurry or flurry? snow flurry or snowfall?
snow flurry vs flurry
On its own, 'flurry' often means a brief burst of activity, as in 'a flurry of emails'; add 'snow' when you mean weather.
snow flurry vs snowfall
A snowfall is the total amount of snow that falls in one event, which can be heavy; a snow flurry is always light and brief.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'snow flurry' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A snow flurry is light and brief, so B fits. A, C, and D all describe heavy or long-lasting snow, which would be a snowstorm or blizzard.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “snow flurry”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.