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National Weather Service Lists Places That Qualified for Blizzard Designation

It takes a specific set of circumstances to get the official designation of blizzard.
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The snowstorm that pummeled New England was brutal, but it takes a specific set of weather conditions to qualify for the designation of blizzard.

The National Weather Service on Wednesday published a list of places that can legitimately claim that they survived the Blizzard of 2015. Among them: Marshfield, Massachusetts, which endured blizzard conditions for 14 hours, and where the storm knocked out a seawall.

The weather service's definition of blizzard is falling or blowing snow that reduces visibility to a quarter-mile, plus winds that frequently gust to at least 35 mph. Those conditions must be predominant for at least three consecutive hours.

Logan Airport in Boston also made the list, at nine hours, as did Hyannis, Massachusetts, and Westerly and Newport, Rhode Island, plus a handful of other spots.

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— Erin McClam