When is it safe to move during a snowstorm?

The answer depends on what weather alerts are active, road conditions, visibility, and temperature. You should stay home if there’s a Blizzard Warning or Winter Storm Warning, if visibility drops below a quarter mile, if winds exceed 35 mph, or if temperatures with wind chill drop below -20°F. Travel is only safe during Winter Weather Advisories when snow accumulation is light and roads remain passable, provided you have winter tires, emergency supplies, and experience driving in snow.

The question of when to venture out during a snowstorm has become more pressing as extreme weather events grow more frequent. Understanding the difference between inconvenience and genuine danger can literally save your life.

Understanding Weather Alerts and What They Mean for Travel

Weather services issue different levels of alerts, and each one tells you something specific about whether you should be on the road.

A Blizzard Warning means that sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more, combined with falling or blowing snow that reduces visibility to less than a quarter mile, are expected to continue for three hours or longer. When this warning goes into effect, officials are telling you in plain terms: do not travel. The combination of poor visibility and powerful winds creates whiteout conditions where you can’t see the road, other vehicles, or even a few feet ahead of your windshield.

Winter Storm Warnings get issued when significant winter weather including snow, ice, sleet, or blowing snow is expected, and travel will become difficult or impossible in some situations. These warnings mean you should seriously reconsider any travel plans. If you absolutely must go somewhere, delay your departure until conditions improve.

Winter Weather Advisories indicate that snow, blowing snow, ice, sleet, or a combination is expected, but conditions won’t be hazardous enough to meet warning criteria. This is the only winter weather alert where travel might be considered relatively safe—but only if you’re prepared and experienced with winter driving.

Travel advisories represent conditions threatening to public safety, where only essential travel like commuting to work or handling emergencies is recommended. Many states use a three-tier system: advisories mean roads are slippery but passable with caution; watches mean conditions threaten public safety and only essential travel is recommended; warnings represent the highest alert level where travel may be restricted to emergency workers only.

The Numbers That Should Keep You Home

Weather-related automobile crashes result in an average of 5,376 fatalities each year, accounting for approximately 16 percent of all vehicular deaths. That’s not a small number. During heavy snowfall or sleet, nearly 900 people are killed and approximately 76,000 people are injured in vehicle crashes every year.

These aren’t just statistics from decades past. During a single week of winter weather in January 2024, at least 95 confirmed weather-related fatalities were reported across the United States. Many of these deaths could have been prevented if people had simply stayed home.

More than half a million crashes and over 1,000 road fatalities result from snowstorms and ice each year. The reality is that winter weather turns even familiar roads into hazardous terrain where your years of driving experience matter less than the laws of physics.

Visibility: The Make-or-Break Factor

You might think you can handle driving slowly through heavy snow, but visibility matters more than you probably realize. During whiteout conditions, visibility might be limited to just a few feet in front of your windshield, and you might not be able to see the road surface or markings.

The most dangerous aspect of whiteout conditions is the loss of visibility—without the ability to see where other drivers are and what they’re doing, you might not have time to react if someone does something unexpected.

If visibility drops to dangerous levels, you should pull over to a safe location like a parking lot or rest area and wait for conditions to improve. This isn’t just advice for nervous drivers. Even experienced winter drivers know that when you can’t see, you can’t drive safely.

Temperature and Wind Chill: The Hidden Threats

Most people focus on snowfall amounts, but temperature and wind chill create their own hazards. Wind Chill Warnings get issued when a combination of very cold air and strong winds creates dangerously low wind chill values that will result in frostbite and lead to hypothermia if precautions aren’t taken.

If you get stranded in these conditions, your survival time decreases dramatically. Your car provides some shelter, but if you run out of gas or your vehicle breaks down, exposure becomes a real threat quickly.

Black ice typically forms when air temperature is at 32 degrees or below at the surface and rain is falling, causing precipitation to freeze upon impact. The prime times for black ice to occur are at dawn and late evening when temperatures are coolest. Bridges and overpasses freeze first because cold air surrounds them on all sides.

When You Might Consider Traveling

If you’re reading this hoping for permission to drive in the snow, here’s the honest truth: there’s rarely a good reason to travel during active snowfall. But life happens. Medical emergencies occur. Some jobs genuinely can’t wait.

If you must travel during winter weather, these conditions need to exist:

Only a Winter Weather Advisory is in effect—not a warning. Snow is falling at a rate you can keep up with by using your windshield wipers on a normal setting. You can see at least several car lengths ahead of you. Roads in your area have been treated with salt or sand. You have winter tires (not all-season tires). You have a full tank of gas. Your phone is fully charged and someone knows your route.

Even then, you’re taking a calculated risk. Temperatures below -20°F can be tough on your car, affecting the battery and fuel lines so they might not work right, and if winds are blowing over 45 mph, driving becomes risky.

The Deadly Mistake People Make When Stuck

Let’s talk about something that kills multiple people every winter: carbon monoxide poisoning in stuck vehicles. This is important enough that it deserves its own section.

Carbon monoxide is odorless and very hard to detect, and it can quickly cause death when a car’s exhaust pipe is blocked by snow. Lethal levels of carbon monoxide can occur within 2.5 minutes in a vehicle with closed windows when the tailpipe is snow-obstructed, within 5 minutes when windows are opened one inch, and within 7.5 minutes when windows are opened six inches.

That timeline should shock you. Less than three minutes. A young mother and her baby died this way in 2016 while her partner was just steps away, shoveling snow from around their car. Fire officials described what happens inside a snow-blocked vehicle as a “death chamber,” noting that within 15-20 minutes, CO poisoning can kill.

If you get stuck, you need to:

Clear all snow from around your exhaust pipe before running your engine. Check the exhaust area every time before you restart the car. Open a window at least an inch even though it’s cold. Only run your engine for about 10 minutes per hour to conserve fuel. Make absolutely certain the exhaust pipe is clear each time before you turn on the engine.

Don’t leave the vehicle to search for assistance unless help is visible within 100 yards. More people die from exposure trying to walk for help than die waiting in their vehicles.

Preparing Before the Storm Hits

The time to prepare for winter travel isn’t when you’re already stuck on the highway. Check and restock winter emergency supplies in your car before leaving, and always carry extra warm clothing and blankets because you can’t rely on a car to provide enough heat if it breaks down.

Your winter car kit should include:

Blankets, sleeping bag, or winter coats. A shovel for digging out your tires. Flashlight with extra batteries. First aid kit. Jumper cables. Ice scraper and snow brush. Sand, salt, or cat litter for traction. Non-perishable food and water. Phone charger (preferably one that doesn’t need your car running). Road flares or reflective triangles. Fully stocked tank of windshield washer fluid rated for freezing temperatures.

If you must travel, let someone know your destination, your route, and when you expect to arrive so they can notify authorities if you’re late. This simple step has saved countless lives.

The Reality of “I’m a Good Driver”

Here’s something nobody wants to hear: your driving skills don’t matter as much as you think when roads are covered in ice and snow.

When pavement is wet, friction between the roadway and car tires decreases by 50 percent, and snowy conditions can decrease friction by 75 percent. That means your stopping distance doubles in light rain and quadruples in snow. You should drive at half your normal speed in winter weather conditions, so if you usually drive at 60 mph, aim for 30 mph or even slower during a winter storm.

Even if you have four-wheel drive, don’t let it give you false confidence. Four-wheel drive helps you accelerate in snow. It does nothing to help you stop or turn. Physics doesn’t care about your vehicle’s features.

Making the Right Call

The decision to drive during a snowstorm should never be taken lightly. Avoid venturing out during a blizzard unless absolutely necessary, as driving or traveling in severe snowstorm weather increases the risk of accidents or becoming stranded.

Ask yourself these questions:

Is this trip actually necessary, or just convenient? What happens if I don’t go? What happens if I get stuck halfway there? Do I have enough gas to sit with my engine running for several hours if needed? Does anyone know where I’m going and when to worry if I don’t arrive? Am I prepared to spend the night in my car if I get stranded?

If you can’t answer these questions confidently, the answer is simple: stay home. Your job, your appointment, your plans—they’re not worth your life.

The weather service doesn’t issue warnings for fun. When meteorologists tell you to stay off the roads, they’re not being dramatic. They’re using data, historical precedent, and decades of experience to tell you when conditions exceed what’s safely manageable.

The Bottom Line

Most of the time, the answer to “when is it safe to move during a snowstorm” is: it’s not. The times when travel might be acceptable are few and specific—light snow during an advisory, with proper equipment, experience, and preparation.

Everything else? That’s nature telling you to stay put, make some hot chocolate, and be grateful you’re not one of the 900 people who die each year trying to drive through what they thought they could handle.

Your life is worth more than whatever you think you need to do. The roads will still be there tomorrow. You might not be.